Craig Crawford's Trail Mix

norm-al

politics as usual

meanwhile, back at the boat

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2009/apr/10/somalia-usa

President Obama is turning into a real War Hawk, and it will now be refered to as the Obama War.

http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN0930196920090409

Then and now. How Obama voted on war funding bills in Congress.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090409/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_war_costs_votes_1

Another pirate update in USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2009-04-09-somali-pirates-us-thursday_N.htm

Only 17? That has to be a mistake, more likely twice that amount.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0409/Bachus_says_theres_17_socialists_in_House.html

More dangerous spinning in Iran.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKDAH95156720090409

This is correct, has always been correct, and as far as I know no one ever suggested he was the mastermind behind 9-11. OBL did what any Mafia Don would tell his captains, you handel it, make the problem go away.
OBL would be convicted in the overall conspiracy of the crime or indicited on RICO charges, but OBL is no mastermind.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3ie9cf6d4fe9496d052885db4114f0c656

Just a couple of scumball punks who messed with the wrong person.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6365427.html

so does an accurate characterization boil down to
if they wait it out and don't harm capt
pirates = mercenaries
or
if they do harm and commit suicide
pirates = terrorists

Shoe, meet the other foot.

North Texas smells like smoke (l'll bet most of OK does, too), but my office smells even smokier than the great outdoors.

I thought the lead editorial in this morning's Journal gave a pretty good summation of the reasons why we should be very thoughtful when pondering the wisdom of Mr Gates' proposals:
http://tinyurl.com/dmg8jb

Criag,
Telling of the most recent poll...
So how can a Republican have such huge success to even be close in the NY race?
I thought that with Barack and HRC should have been a hands down win for the Dem's. But it is far from that success -
What is this telling us? Certainly not that the shine is off of Barack... No way

After a three-judge panel gave Democrat Al Franken a 312-vote lead over incumbent Republican Norm Coleman (out of 2.4 million cast), it was GOP leaders vowing more court action to force more recounts. That is a position they ridiculed when Al Gore was pushing for more counts in his fight to overcome George W. Bush's 537-vote lead in Florida.

--CC's post
_________________________________________
yes, but the gop leadership, senators, and congressmen are all whiney-babies slap-worthies when they lose or dont get their way, and hypocritical lying jerks ALL the time... (see Boener)

Hmm, the thought of blue buffalo chips is a little off-putting.

that should be "whiney-baby slap-worthies" which is actually putting it extremely mildly.

I think any of Peter Drucker's books on business and why good businesses are good, would be worth reading this summer. He was a very smart guy who wrote the truth in ways that most of us can understand.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Drucker

Off to the dermatologist to deposit my ounce of flesh. :(

Decent article Flatus although Gates was interviewed about the FCS and said he understands it is need badly so he will ask the military to come up with a better idea ASAP. We shall see. The article echos my points pretty much to the letter but it doesn't address certain NAVY shortfalls or cutting back on carriers in light of small war projects, pirates, interdictions and the bravado of the Chinese NAVY.

Does Gates think Obama will moderinize nuclear component like Cina and Russia are?....lol

And the article missed perhaps the biggest problem. refueling situation and lift capacity. Can't rapidly move foreces or make long rang strikes without these things. Also I hear the Wart Hog is on the cutting block again. Bad move.

I hope at least the ABL has some life blown back into it. We would be fools to pass up the real modern grail of warfare. The Chinese will steal the idea.......

P.S. the media's meek reports about Ms Saberi and the Democrats fixation with pirates over this hostage situation in Iran is deplorable. I would rather see Craig shout out a big protest here demanding her freedom than assisting a medicore comic called Franken.

Ms Saberi deserves the support of everyone here, especially the women given her background. Where are your principles? Or is the plight of women just a concern at home?

a line of demarcation between gop leadership and regular folks even though the regular folks empower and enable the leadership with their slavish devotion to gop talking points from A-Z which are mostly delivered to them in op-eds and radio schmucks like limbo, hannity, and the rest of them............

pah.

"Where are your principles? Or is the plight of women just a concern at home?"

Max
I'm on my first cup of coffee, so this may affect my mental state but I find that to be an unjust, unfounded and obnoxious observation.

Jack

Jack.....well we know where they keep their own "principles".....because we see from where they consistently pull them.......as in "down under".........it's why gop "principles" are so........flagrantly fragrant...........

Sturg...
So things are the same just the names are different. That was the reaction after the Florida count and in some ways continues like a hanging chad...

glad my name is not Chad... or Cat Ballou
Remember Cat Ballou
Hanging on to one of my favorite movies
http://greattube.net/video/64247/Cat-ballou-open.html

She has been held for some time in a rather horrible Iranian prison being forced to admit spying. The sentence could be death. Was there a single comment here? No.(save mine) The media down plays this story (bravo Hillary for saying something) and other great news from Iran BECAUSE IT DOES NOT WANT TO INFLAME any news that is bad about Iran Why? You can figure that out, yes?

So I repeat, let's push this story and rescue Ms. Saberi. She is quite a woman suffering from the typical crap the Mullah's dish out. Her life is as important than a sea captain held by pirates, yes?

"Don't you see what's happening here"?

Lee Marvin: (singing): "Happy birthday to youuuuuuuu, Happy birthday to youuuuuuu........"

Now another old time favorite...
What happens to good men when they gain power...
Evil is about ... Just some times you cannot see it... And the tragic situation is good men get lost.... unless checked

http://www.youtube.com/user/filmbuff2000

Maybe we should let the leadership work on the freeing of Ms Saberi.......you know, the way we let the leadership from 2000 to 2006 have their way in trashing the ideals, the economy, and the military effectiveness of america.

yes.....bravo ms clinton......as usual in her case....no dummy, she.

They are very predictable & the dems should look for a way to make that work in their favor. Like reverse psychology. They would no doubt take hook line & sinker.

The Saberi story has been front page in the Bay area newspapers and on cable news -
There are lots of worthy stories that aren't getting a lot of attention --what about the two reporters about to go on trial in North Korea and what about Mynmar period?

Get off your petard -- fake moral outrage is over rated

Max
You are watching the wrong media.

I have heard extensive coverage of the story.
But then I have my radio set on NPR and don't bother with cable news.

Jack

Coleman is losing the support of rightwing media --someone did a review of various gooper pundits and the sentiment was time to go Norm --"your last chance to leave with dignity" I'd say that ship has sailed a long time ago.

"cable news"

Now there is an oxymoron for you.

Jack

Sturg, your comment really addresses reality. International outrage is the ticket and for you to return to Bush to deal with Ms, Saberi's plight is nonsense. What does our politics have to do with her freedom? Maybe Bush was responsible for her arrest? What crap. Outrage got those British soldiers back. Nice gestures doesn't do much for Ms. Saberi.

Oh I see......I shouldn't upset anyone's coffee this morning.

Guess what? Ms. Saberi isn't having coffe this morning and I rather doubt she would appreciate the remarks.

KGC

Norm is starting to look like the "lawsuit happy liberal" that Reps are always railing against.

Jack

"arguing" individual points with a gop is much like arguing theology with a Jehovah's Witness.........

petard......one of me favorite liddle woids:

wiki
A petard was a small bomb used to blow up gates and walls when breaching fortifications. The term has a French origin and dates back to the sixteenth century.[1] In a typical implementation, it was commonly either a conical or rectangular metal object containing 5 or 6 pounds of gun powder, activated with a slow match used as a fuse.

The word petard comes from the Middle French peter, to break wind, from pet expulsion of intestinal gas, from Latin peditum, from neuter of peditus, past participle of pedere, to break wind; akin to Greek bdein to break wind. (Merriam-Webster) Petard remains a French word meaning a firecracker today (in French slang, it means a handgun, or a joint).

The word remains in modern usage in the phrase to be hoisted by one's own petard (or to be hoist with one's own petard), which means "to be harmed by one's own plan to harm someone else" or "to fall into one's own trap", literally implying that one could be lifted up (hoisted, or blown upward) by one's own bomb.

"Oh I see......I shouldn't upset anyone's coffee this morning"

Max

Snark doesn't fit you well in the morning, You just look foolish.

Jack

Hillary warned there'd be days..
"...... — and nights — like this.
....Clinton, now Obama's top diplomat who no longer hawks the 3 a.m. campaign line, was traveling with the president. She worked the phones, and Obama issued the expected words of condemnation. Calls went out for the U.N. Security Council to convene."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/04/08/national/w142526D24.DTL

max,
just what do you want us to do? do you think expressing outrage on tm will free her? are you asking for group prayer or high powered telepathic action? and anyway what are you doing to free the lady aside from railing at us?
give us our orders, but make them sensible, effective and be sure to provide an exit plan.

Oh and Max, you haven't a clue what Ms Saberi would or would not appreciate, so it is rather disingenuous on your part to imply you can read her mind.

Jack

Sturg, your comment really addresses reality. International outrage is the ticket and for you to return to Bush to deal with Ms, Saberi's plight is nonsense. What does our politics have to do with her freedom? Maybe Bush was responsible for her arrest?
--Max

1. International outrage is fine and deserved.
2. Bush has nothing to do with ms Saberi's plight.
3. Bush has nothing to do [thank the gods] with ms saberi's plight.
4. my point, which you seemed to miss, is that our leaders are entirely capable of dealing with the current situation in re. ms saberi and will certainly do so without our feeble verbal micturations......

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZmIxNzhhZjk3ZTU2NjkwOGRkMmRjNWMwMGEyMWUyNzU=

Even the National Review thinks Coleman should fold up his tent ...

Jack

I should have written cable news (sic)....

Max....we all know your faux outrage over Saberi is due entirely to your hopes of bombing Iran.

oh and, max, when you do issue our orders, please do so in under 150 words... my attention span isn't what it used to be.

kgc.....corrected your typo:

I should have written cable news (sick).....

ha

Oh no, Max! You're crashing and burning... you were doing well for yourself the last couple of days, too. Seriously, I've enjoyed your posts, but maybe you should rest on your laurels for a day or two. Not everybody wants to have a heated debate every second of every day.

Happy Friday! 8:53 in the ay-em, tell that boss where to stick it, woo!

Another healthcare nightmare.... with a little thrown in about trying to get an abortion in 1969 ...

System From Hell
" ...I have led precisely the life Republicans claim to value. I started as a single welfare mother, then worked my way through college en route to a successful career. My second husband and I have sustained a traditional and loving marriage for thirty-five years. He purchased quality health insurance, including long-term-care insurance, so he would not be a financial burden to others. He enjoyed a long and steady career at an institution that would pay healthcare costs and a modest pension for life. Between his salary and mine, we achieved a reasonable degree of economic comfort--never wealthy but independent, self-sufficient, responsible.
Then came our daughter's accident."
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090427/michelman

i am the boss and i cant tell myself to stick it because if i dont get these goddam 20 motel TV stands stained and finished my reputation will be stained and finished.........lol

".... high powered telepathic action? "

Can we do that? ....(:-J)
... seriously though, if we put our heads together, who knows!

"our feeble verbal micturations"

sturge, you accusing us of taking the mickey?

this is a fascinating discourse on some of sturge's more colorful communications. read down page for his word of the day.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A753527

Ms Saberi was arrested by the Revolutionary Court, which deals with national security charges, although it is not clear whether her arrest was related to her journalism or the book she was writing. Ms Saberi has worked for the BBC, National Public Radio and Fox News for six years in defiance of a ban by the Iranian authorities on her journalistic activities since 2006.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d6bd3822-22b9-11de-9c99-00144feabdc0.html

The British sailors were not released because of outrage by the way.

Jack
LOL --now I have coffee all over my screen

For today's discussion --let's discuss how many terrorists are there on a pinhead?

Ways that the "smart grid " makes us more vulnerable that the old dumb way.

We can't retaliate in kind because we would have to walk over there and flip a switch by hand.

"Cyberspies have penetrated the U.S. electrical grid and left behind software programs that could be used to disrupt the system, according to current and former national-security officials."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123914805204099085.html

Jack

"my attention span isn't what it used to be."

Ha -- same here, patd.

Good Friday to all....

jack, did you see this list (down page) of 10 books re "how technology shapes the world"?

http://neteffect.foreignpolicy.com/

I think Norm Coleman is a stupid git. He should never have been elected to fill Wellstone's seat in the first place. The rightwing media goons took the events at the funeral out of context and Coleman used the lamest of excuses to shut down a discussion of abortion and his anti choice position.
And it was entirely lost in the media shuffle over the funeral silliness. Even if by some miracle Coleman retained his seat the coming lawsuits concerning his illegal donations could cause him to get tossed out...unless he is counting on DOJ screwups ala Ted Stevens.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/cheney-gingrich-hawking-obama.html#comment-218212

Lord of the Blog --

From last night, I recognize the accuracy of your statement, but wonder if there were no illegals, would "legals" be easily recruited into those jobs? In other words, are they really stealing the very jobs that Americans so badly want?

white house seder discription and guests

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1077623.html

Good day to you too Ping...

hey Craig..... now you've got another NYC constituency trying to tell you what to post..... ROFL! it must be the water....

as for Coleman vs Franken... I think the first post by patd says it all....

KGC..... no, no, NO..... I want to count how many virgins there are on a pinhead...
and to be fair.... let's count the males along with the females.....

patd

I hadn't got around to check out the new blog over there. I tend to read them of an evening while relaxing. Lots of good stuff on their blogs, smart people.

Interesting list one or two tempt me(as if I had any time )

Jack

mornin'

Ping, NY's 20th was won by Gillibrand with 61% of the vote - Obama only got 51% in the distrcit. Don't know how Clinton did in that district, but she got 67% of the vote overall in '06, and won all the counties in the 20th. Obama's coattails weren't very long in that district to begin with. Probably more accurate to say that the goll is off Hillary.

LOL - lessee, when's the last time anyone got a prisoner released by being outraged on a blog? (Well, except Scooter, but the outraged Republicans blogging their asses off knew that was going to happen). I'd love to see Ms. Saberi released, but she's no different thatn other journalists, aid workers, etc. who go into war zones or try to be an American in countries we have declared our enemy. She had to know that it was risky and that she could not trust the Iranian government to treat her as we treat Iranian journalists - particularly considering the ban on her activities mentioned by KC. I believe that Hillary's statements on the matter may be just a bit more influential than ours - and since she and Obama are willing to at least consider dialog with Iran, they are in a bit of a better position to deal with the issue than is TM. Outrage gets you angry - and what else??? hmmm..

"She has been held for some time in a rather horrible Iranian prison being forced to admit spying. "

Her prison conditions would make the notorious Angola state prison in Louisiana, seem like the Taj Mahal

has there been some description somewhere of the iranian prison conditions which I may have missed? Do we have cameras and first hand accounts of how ms saberi is being treated?

Pogo

She is also being held by the revolutionary court. A group that would like to sabotage any loosening of the relationship between us and Iran. (they seem to be a bit like Max in that way) They would love for us to get all blustery and make big threats we can't really carry out.

Jack

Max, would lose his argument if he is implying he can read a woman's mind. No man can do that!

Sturge

according to NPR yesterday nobody is allowed contact so nobody knows how she is being treated.
The Iranians are saying she confessed. Was it a forced confession or are they just making stuff up?
Who knows equal chance of it being either one.

Jack

Ping,
"Good Friday to all"

Oh wait till the meaning of that greeting sinks in on some of these non-believer bloggers. How long will it take the religious insults to begin by those who believe they are the sole center of the universe.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218300

A lot longer than it took a certain foolish rightwinger to make his usual foolish attacks.

Jack

Bitter party of two....

After you get past the commerical here is 60 Minutes video about Irans prison system.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4920609n

Saberi's parents have seen her and say she is fine --

Gotta give Max credit for one thing, he forced the topic of Seberi into the general discussion. Discussing the subject isn't a bad thing, imo.

Jack

Peeps starring in "The Mummy's Tomb"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2008/03/21/GA2008032101983.html

she might not be in their prison system.

No credit for max.......Cash on the barrelhead, please.........

lol

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218304

KGC

Thanks for the correction.

Jack

Jack....
I don't care if we discuss his topics....
but not with hijacking this blog with it being THE discussion for 3 days running...

I'll state it again..... IMO, that's rude to the rest of us.....
and no.... he isn't the only one who kept it going.....

Coleman's former attorney thinks Norm should pack it in...

http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2009/03/is_norm_coleman.php

Sturge

When it comes to Iran it may be a question of which "their prison system"
It is a complicated place.

Jack

Jack, frankly, it don't matter much. Revolutionary court is a general name for 70 branches of courts in Iran - not unlike what we call district courts here - but presided over by clerics who function as prosecutor, judge and jury. They are the trial level courts in Iran.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judicial_system_of_Iran#Revolutionary_courts

We can't compare their courts to ours because they are rather more like the courts of the inquisition than the adversarial courts we have.

"The courts of the Islamic Republic are based on an inquisitorial system, such as exists in France, rather than anadversarial system of the United Kingdom. The judge serves not only as judge but as prosecutor, jury, and arbiter. However, according to Article 168 of Iran's constitution, in certain cases involving the media, a jury is allowed to be the arbiter. The judge holds absolute power. In practice, judges may be overwhelmed by cases, and not have the time to excogitate about each case. All judges are certified in Islamic law, and most, but not all, are members of the ruling clergy."

* * *

"At least at first, the revolutionary courts differ from standard Western law courts by limiting trials to a few hours, sometimes minutes. Defendants could be found guilty on the basis of `popular repute.` The concept of defense attorney was dismissed as a `Western absurdity.` A charge that was widely applied against defendants but unfamiliar to some was `sowing corruption on earth.` This covered a variety of offenses - "`insulting Islam and the clergy,` `opposing the Islamic Revolution,` `supporting the Pahlavis,` and `undermining Iran's independence` by helping the 1953 coup and giving capitulatory privileges to the imperial powers." "

Unless our government can convince Iran's to convince the judge (read cleric here) to release her before he finds her guilty, Ms.Saberi's goose is cooked.

Journalists who are also freedom fighters take a risk.

Crooks and Liars on Coleman and his folding tent....
http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/gov-pawlenty-must-certify-al-franken-an

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218310

Renee, I plead "guilty." :-(

http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/nj_20080628_2254.php

The Coleman free lunch loans for home repair

OHHHHH NNOOOOOO!!!! NOT PEEPS.

RR,

I'll state it again..... IMO, that's rude to the rest of us.....
and no.... he isn't the only one who kept it going.....

No sure I understand your point. Are you suggesting we can only debate Craig's post? Not even sure Craig would agree with that position.

Which is GOP wanting a true recount of all the votes and not some "lower state court" deciding on what votes will be counted. This is why this case will be heard by the MNSC,

I still have a package of last year's peeps.

Crooks & Liars on Coleman v. Franken---last & best line-----

Free Al Franken!

Ivy, I'm sure they are just as good now as they were when you got them.:-)

Ivy
Those peeps are still to fresh they need to ripen a bit more. They don't really get good unless they have been in storage for at least 2 years. Like a fine wine peeps improve with age. or at least they don't get any worse.

Jack

The GOP is praciticing partisan hackery as an art form in Minnesota --after all it was Coleman who said --no recount should be demanded of course he said that when he thought he was ahead...

the GOP gobs of poop

"Like a fine wine peeps improve with age"

... that and twinkies.

KGC,

http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/nj_20080628_2254.php

A well documented piece, but all you have to do is change the names and you can have any number of politians sitting in Congress. There is nothing new here. Everyone has their own Rabbi to lean on.

blah blah blah
we are talking about Coleman
factless drivel

TIR...
are you kidding me?!!!! ROFL!
I chided Cosmo the other day as only being an "inside the box" type thinker for saying we should stick to Craig's topics....

my contention is with keeping it going for 3 days....
also.... any topic that usually flames emotions will eventually break down into name calling.....

and anyone who didn't think a topic such as abortion wouldn't result in the above after 3 days needs to take a good long serious look at themselves in the mirror, IMO....

ok.... that's my last word on the topic....

Norm Coleman's Charmed Life

Several weeks ago, I wrote a column about Norm Coleman's curiously overlooked legal troubles.It had about the same effect as my columns usually do. Since it came out, Mike Allen reported, "The next RNC chairman will be Norm Coleman, after he loses his recount fight and big donors see Michael Steele’s March numbers."

Today, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune has obtained more corroborating testimony for the executive who claims he was ordered to funnell $100,000 of company money through an intermediary to Norm Coleman's wife. If it keeps getting worse for Coleman he may find himself nominated for president.

--Jonathan Chait
http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2009/03/27/norm-coleman-s-charmed-life.aspx

http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0409/Colemans_latest_problem_Minn_GOP.html

The Minn GOP can't make up its mind about Coleman
the comments are the best part of this article

"He should never have been elected to fill Wellstone's seat in the first place. "

Exactly, KGC -- that was the original sin.

We now have Trailmix doves. How about a Trailmix Cow?

http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.183217/?msource=kw4746

Al Franken and "Porn-O-Rama!"

Rep. Joyce Peppin

“As a woman, as a mother, wife and sister, I am offended by Al Franken’s continuing depiction of women as objects for men to enjoy and mock," she said.

Why do feminists dismiss Franken's antics? They either do, or do not want to be viewed as sexual objects. Or does it have more to do with who is making the suggestions. Your message seems to be for a Liberal minded person like Franken is OK. But why would that be acceptable?

RR,

I always look forward to your replies.

... what in the hell is that supposed to mean?

I don't know that much about the Minnesota political scene....
but one would like to think it's Democratic party voters learned something after having Jesse Ventura as it's governor.....

but apparently not.....
I honestly think that if they had voted in a "regular" politician instead of the celebrity.... the Democratic party might have handily won that election with no need for recounts....

Apparently Rep Peppin does not understand satire and has no sense of humor and is willing to make a fool of herself for the goopers

KGC,

If true you'll need to wipe that factless drivel off your lip. Thing is your post come from Liberal based sources, who rather have the likes of Franken in office at any cost. Franken is a joke, has been a joke, and a not very funny one at that.

TIR

your chosen name is deceptive...your feckless statements indicate reality is a place you have yet to inhabit

KGC,

Oh satire, is that what you call it? Ok so this means strong sexual innuendos degrading females is ok as long as it is classified as satire, and coming from a Liberal? Hell if I knew that I have a ton of such satire I could post here, you know just to keep the laughter meter going. You are trying to justify action that you under normal circumstance would find offensive, but because Franken is a Liberal you are fine with it. I have watched your comments for some time and you would be highly offended if that form of satire came from someone on the Right.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218319

They're still squishy to the touch. They're the green ones, but I'm not sure I like the new-fangled colors. Traditional yellow is still the old standby. They must be in chick-shaped too - not bunnies and such, much as I like fuzzy-furred bunnies and all.

Uh oh Ivy.... you didn't tell us they were green!
You won't be able to see the mold.

Pogo, thanks for the clarification. Of course media here knows exactly what is at stake and their rather weak reporting (just look at all the news stories run before her plight) is deplorable. I must say Huffington ran a thread on this though some comments seem more impressed with her beauty rather than her effort in journalism and actually taking this risk in going to Iran to cover the plight of women.

Again, we know why media down plays the series of news coming our of Iran. In another example of how off the NIE was and is, Iran has far more centrifuges than intelligence reported. They also have unknown facilities where the IAEA has not been permitted to go. They are holding women who protested against oppression, students who protested, they hang gays and children and engage in what amounts to gross violations of international law regarding punishment such as stoning and cuting off limbs. Their people cry out to the West but who listens?

Therre was a time when Liberals more than conservatives demanded things like this to change. What an uproar over South Africa and the Soviet Union. So I would say my positon now has not changed. Perhaps Power and Rice don't think this human rights issue is important or that Bush created these problems...lol.

What has changed is the new Liberal mindset that would rather not upset Iran. Frankly, the appeal by Coleman is the least of our woes. Today 5 US soldiers were killed in Iraq. Former Saddam loyalists and AQ are just waiting for us to leave and then Obma will be foreced to do what McCain said he wuld do -not let Iraq slip back into chaos. If you want an idea of we do to keep Iraq under control (a far easier task than in Afghanistan) read Totten's latest post. Now there is journalism.

Maybe CNN, NBC, MSNBC, PBS, CBS should study how journalism is done. In all fairness however, CBS ran a good story last weekend about the Iranian who survived torture in Iranian prisons. So I ask all Americans to consider that documentary when thinking about what Ms. Saberi is going through. And consider a nuclear Iran under the same thugs who control the Iranian injustice system.

Ivy, Are you sure they were green when you bought them?

Truth in Unreality

I would take your comments seriously if I thought you had bothered to read what Franken has written or said and the context and not the uneducated rant of Joyce "I want to be Michelle Bachman" Peppin

If course you are the same person who defended Blackwater and think that woman should go back to the 18th century

KGC,

You should be equally offended by the comments no matter who said them, but you are not. In this case you are trying to justify them. You my dear speak with forked tongue.

.... Ivy, maybe I should have used some joking emoticons. :)
Not to worry, they're all preservatives anyone. No food stuff there (except for sugar).

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218343

Well, Chloe, I neglected to mention there's a half-empty pack of purple chicks, also from last year. They're a little "stiffer," but I figure the inside is still okay, and they don't have any visible signs of mold. I figured I could melt them in hot chocolate if we have another cold spell.

Oh and Jack, so you now compare me to to those who hold Ms. Saberi. Seems people here show their true colors. What else Jack. Maybe I beat women. Maybe I want to cut the hand off of thieves. Keep it up, your reasoning or lack of it becomes clearer.

You just don't like that I don't subscribe to your mindset and as usual resort to insult as a form of refutation.

So let's keep qiuiet and HOPE the Mullahs change their mind. I'm sure Saberi's parent concurr. Was that kool aid or coffeee you drank this morning?

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218347

Flamer!!!
Quick, somebody put out the fire!.
But keep your distance!!

KGC,

I have read it, and if you want to discuss what he said I'll be more than happy to oblige you. Not sure the other females will want to wade this his muck, but if you want, as they say "Lets get it on". Even Democrat leaders were offended by Franken's article, but that was before he became the leading Democrat candidate to run against Coleman.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218329

Ree, You don't have to post the link to your blog daily. Just ask and Craig will add you to the Trailmix blog roll.

The unreal truth in unreality

You brought it up and now are trying to weasel out of posting the rant of a gop whack job ..and you have not even bothered to read the original statements. How can you defend your own remarks when you have no idea of the original statements.

All you are doing is defending Rep Peppins right to be wrong

"I figured I could melt them in hot chocolate if we have another cold spell. "

LMAO Ivy.
Why didn't you make that hot chocolate in the winter, while it was still cold? Better yet, maybe save them for next winter. :)

(yummy blue corn and green and purple peeps!)

I feel guilty for laughing at this headline, but they could have come up with something that sounded a little more serious than a Laurel and Hardy movie.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/bradford/7993407.stm

TIR

Happy to Oblige bring it on... but first..do you know and understand the role of satire? Do you have a sense of humor?
And be sure to provide the context of everything thing to lift out to prove Peppin's points

TiR,
Yeah but that was....that was...that was before......Al's well.....Al's all better now.......he might win afterall.....Laughs

Actually, that melting idea ain't a bad one Ivy. There's always a way to freshen up almost anything. :)

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218355

That's why it's half-a-package...

And not to worry, your sense of humor comes through even without the emoticons... :)

Sorry, Truth in Reality is quite right about Frankens comments. What we see from Iran to deomestic politics is that Liberal will filter out whatever they don't like so to them reality conforms to the way they imagine it to be. No matter how Bush did this too, what a sorry use of reasoning power. Truth has no filter nor moral transgression and excuse. The Liberals of some decades back understood that. Perhaps that moral conviction gave them the ability to be great war time leaders. Instead we have Franken, Dodd, Blago, Edwards, and a long list I will spare you of. And yes, the Repubilcans fair no better. So? We should be setting a much higher bar and the snipes and personal insults offer no defense of the indefensible.

If I didn't want to up the Liberal standards, I would not visit here. I think Craig's post ask the right questions. Often I am saddened by the responses, but then, that is hardly Craig's fault.

For example --this is humor

"Responding to Limbaugh's roundhouse charge that feminists ("feminazis") believe that all heterosexual sex is rape, Franken offers the following: "I know a lot of women, almost all of whom consider themselves feminist, and I know only one who actually holds this belief. And we've been married nearly 20 years."

Max
you are so wrong about Franken and like your pals have no bothered to read the original statements or the context
you leap on anything that you think proves your right to bomb Iran
you constantly play fast and loose with facts --you take an unrelated event and want to immediately apply it to every situation you think justifies your wish to invade the rest of the world.

Why aren't you out picketing Koream counsels for the release of the two journos being held there..or since they aren't former beauty queens I guess they don't count in your world

Since he turned 50 today...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHTSbYxXCHY

I googled Franken and Porn-o-Rama to find the cause of the shouting. This "outrage" was circulating through Gooper circles in May, June and July of last year.

Now I know these people can keep a negative and/or false and slanderous email making the rounds for decades, but dredging it up again now at the tail end of the recount is just laughable?

Yeah Max.....Leave those poor misunderstood Iranians alone......They are just misunderstood victims of US oppression....and what's another odd journalist lost here or there.....we've got plenty out of work here to replace them........wow...this is so telling......Laughs

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218311

kgc, my guess is that he hasn't paid the lawyer's fee.

"free al franken"
coreen, the conditions of his minnesota imprisonment are unspeakable... outrageous torture listening to the drip drip count of the challenged absentee votes, gagged by the judge... how much more can a poor comic take!

Sorry, Max, but I disagree. Our media have virtually no effect on Iran - either its government or its court system.

KC, the GOP rolled out Porn-o-rama! last May. They wouldn't know satire if it bit them in the ass. I've joked that the internet has taken the place of the locker room for pre-pubescent boys - but only because it has. When the Hill reported on the Repug wailing and gnashing of teeth over the article last year, they understood that the piece was "clearly intended to be humorous." I guess the repugs don't get the joke since it isn't slapstick - but then they have their own ways of dealing with sex, don't they? I seem to recall male pages and airport restrooms - I guess those were supposed to be jokes too, after all the actual sex fantasies being played out by people already in office were defended as "misunderstandings" by the right's defenders, but I digress.

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/sex-writing-by-franken-cited-in-race-2008-05-22.html

As big a fan of Peeps as jamie is, here's a guy who I bet ups her one.

http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2004/04/08/news/region_and_state/78a74366c4677ec186256e6f00822f44.txt

The nutritional value of the "delicacy" is discussed at the bottom of the page.

Pogo,
Didn't realize that you were so in-tune to what effects the Iranian gov't and coutrt system. Someone who's obviously as well connected and in-the-know could certainly be useful in DC......maybe a new career path....

yep, Max

It's you and the mad mullahs , hugging and kissing.

If that fact makes you uncomfortable maybe you need to re-examine some of your pov.

Jack

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218356

I agree, Jamie. If only they had omitted that one key word. I can only imagine how they're reacting to their own headline.

Brits' humor can be meaner than ours. Hubs attended a cricket cup quarter-final a few years ago - sitting not with the hoity toity, but with the hoi polloi where they chanted at passersby, "Fat Boy, Fat Boy, Who ate all the poy (pie)?" I wasn't there, but it was rough, he said.

OMG - Spencer Bachus has ID'd 17 socialists inthe house .

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/09/spencer-bachus-socialists_n_185364.html

PHTKFPM

"Why aren't you out picketing Koream counsels for the release of the two journos being held there..."

max, please answer kgc above question. is it because the iranian prisons are worse than the no korean ones? is it because the 2 journalists are far east asian american and therefore less worthy of our concern than a mideast asian american? it will help us understand our mission better if we know where our loyalties and priorities lay (or lie).

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218369

Pogo

Speaking of "satire gone wrong". I loathe peeps and may have eaten two in my life, but the second one was a mistake. If they ever produce a Joan of Arc peep, I will be the one who lights the funeral pyre.

Max,
Didn't you hear.....on this blog you aren't allowed to comment on a specific issue unless you have researched all other possible related occurances worldwide and applied the requisite concern for them as well.......how inconsiderate of you.....laughs...this is crazy today...:)

More specious crap from the alleged reasonable middle

KCG -not worth responding to.

Pogo, international pressure spurred by people and media demanding their leaders take action will pressure Iranians as did the response to British soldiers being captured. Why report what is happening to the sea captain? Because it makes a good story. Obviously media doesn't think Saberi makes a good story. The idea that we should not protest sends such a sorry signal to all those in Iran that see our silence quite pathetic. I have warned of pirates for some time and was told to go blow my horn elsewhere...lol. I reported the abuse to women protesting in Iran and was told I was a NEOCON. That is complete bullshit. On a number of occasions pressure did push Iran to change course. How about a proposal for new immediate sanctions if she is not released? Oh yeah., we are now talking about a new pirate strategy, but not a word about what is going on in Iran except more nice gestures.

Your comment about Franken must still be taken in light of how Democrats twist statements Republicans make. I am sure we will all know the difference between humor and seriousness when Franken speaks in Congress...lol. And the taste of humor is in the ears of the beholder, yes. So Frankens sin was bad taste? By the way, I have heard Franken speak in not comedy venues, delivering rather pathetic statements unsupported. When called on it, he laughed suggesting he was just a comic. Now he will be a representative.

Satire. "trenchant wit, irony or sarcasm used to expose and discredit vice or folly." According toBy KATHERINE KERSTEN, Star Tribune, " In other words, satire is serious business. A satirist mocks a problematic situation in order to bring it to public attention, correct or reform it. He blends comedy and censure in the service of mankind's improvement" Franken wasn't t condeming, he was embracing. Another feamle who shares your first name but totally differnt thoughts on Al's sudo satire.

http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/senate/19513834.html?location_refer=Bios

Once you start making excuses for bad behavior you have pretty much set yourself up for defeat. All this time I got the impression you were a true feminist, not that I agree with them, but you appeared to stick by your feminist comments, on their central issues...I see I was wrong. You are a political feminist, not a issue orientated feminist. Big differance.

MAX....

EUREKA.....I knew you'd get there eventually.......LOL

All this time I got the impression you were a true feminist, not that I agree with them

all we need to know about you

Max...feel the same way about you...you remind me of Gordo

It's just an observation jax, but unlike Max's suggestions, has observable fact to support it. Since the Iranian people deposed the Shah and put Khomeini in power, Western outrage, whether in the press or in the blogs, has had no effect on Iran to speak of - or at least none I can see.

Even Bush's criticism of them as a member of the axis of evil - in the wake of 9/11 - accompanied by no diplomacy of course - had what effect? They have spent the last 8 years developing their nuclear power industry and refinement capabilities to a claimed 7000 centrifuges. So by all means, feel free to rail with Max against the perceived inadequate press and TM blog comments outrage about the imprisonment of Saberi on a blog (at least I think that's what he's outraged about), and expect the results of that blog outrage to be what it's always been.

jax,
nothing was meant to disallow max's comments. just questioning the tirade and name calling and only trying to get clarification and direction as to what he thinks tmrs should be doing in a positive effective way to free our imprisoned media.

I was the first to mention the two captured by NK. Go check the threads. Get your facts straight before you say crap. I could ask you all why YOU said nothing, BUT I DID. So blow it out......

The nerve of you two to make bullshit assumptions suggesting somehow I was a racist in not mentioning the two captured by NK. Is that the truly pathetic crap you use Craig's blog to dish out? Shall I start treating you like an infection that has spread to your house?

Get a grip and stop acting like silly little children.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218372

Ivy, I'm pretty inured to British humor. Watching BBC programs can do that for you. It can sound rough, but there doesn't seem to be the meaness of American humor. That's hard to explain except that you know it when you hear it.

Gosh anything that doesn't make it through some companies' spam filter isn't satire...good to know NOT

Pogo the NIE clearly stated that the Bush lead sanction drive was responsible for stopping their nuclear bomb program. get your facts straight. Clinton tried engagement and it did nothing.

Pogo,
I just thought that because your wirting is so eloquent and your statements so definitive that you were speaking from a position of knowing rather that of opining.......

Isn't funny how that can work.....sound like you know what you are talking about and speak well and people will assume that you must know something......even when you don't actually have a clue....:)

"The idea that we should not protest "

And there Max is why you get ridiculed at times. No one here has made that point. BTW I could have easily picked 3 or 4 other false sentences to make my point.

With the straw men you keep building I'm amazed that the flames aren't higher. Straw is very flammable.

Jack

Please jack, go drink some more kool aid. If I had to list all the straw you're sitting on Craig would need another blog for bandwidth.

Time magazines suggests Bush's policy re Iran did not work and all they did was spin the NIE report

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1691249,00.html

But I guess you believe spin well spun is better than the truth
how childish of you

"laughs...this is crazy today...:)"
Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.
Friedrich Nietzsche

...that said, there is nothing wrong with this place today. or any other day Jax. You're just being unusually snarky. And this is coming from some one who likes you a lot and thinks you are unbelievably smart.

Max, bullshit. Pirates have been discussed here for months. Pat has provided links and people have commented.

TiR, Kersten was IMHO wrong. What in the world in the article gives her the idea that Franken was embracing anything? Not everyone holds Kersten's opinion - or journalism - in such high esteem.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Strib-stop-supporting-Muslim-bashing?page=7

http://www.accesstodemocracy.com/?p=74

"The idea that we should not protest sends such a sorry signal to all those in Iran that see our silence quite pathetic."

A Strawman arguement? Are you protesting? Does media air the opinion of many Americans (including those in North Dakota) that this is an outrage? And Iranians don't see our silence (yes Jack, they do get international news) as a signal we don't care very much. We certainly protest about many other things.

So where is the Straw Jack. Oh, I know, you're sitting on it.

Well , max I pointed your strawman out, how about you do the same.

Jack

NK prison vs. Iran prison. The difference isn't just the food you are served. If prisons here are bad, what do you think they are like over in NK or Iran, and how do you think prisoner, and these are Americans, are treated. You are aware that in many foreign prisons you as the prisoner, your existence is dependant upon outside assistance, without outside assistance your chances of survival is greatly diminished. They won't kill them, and they won't let them get killed by other inmates, they may physically abuse them (not rape), they need to keep then alive, but their everyday living conditions are just deplorable. Of the 2 NK has to be below that of Iran's if for no other reasons because of the food shortage and the bitterly cold winters, and the NK is not known for their humanitarian efforts.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16846056

npr disputing the Bush claims of success in halting the Iranian nuclear program

Chloe,
Just pointing out a few idiosyncrasies for the day......
You'll notice....no name calling......no insulting......no foul language......and yet Snarky??????

Fair enough...I trust your judgement.....I'll desist.....
Got some barges to get loaded....commerce and that mundane minutia.....Have a great weekend....All the Best....:)

It is simple Max

All morning you have been putting our name on the strawman you are building. You have been doing your damnedest to put words in our mouths that we never said.
It doesn't speak well of you.

Jack

I have talked repeatedly about Pirates. Going back to when I first came here. Long before anyone else did here. Then, I also mentioned the serious threat in the Straits of Molacca where interuption of tankers could cost billions. I asked what pressure we put on China and others to help. I even connected the pirates to the illegal smuggling of weapons to Gaza via Somalian pirates. In fact Foreign Affairs more than three years ago addressed piracy.

But gee, when I tried to bring up the need for more international enforcement of law, I was slammed by Brian as being a NEOCON. Others joined in. discussion? What friggin discussion? That was the mindset when I first tried to "discuss" this matter in a civil way.

No enforcement and cooperation goes to shit. Same is true with Iran, Hamas, Hizb'Allah and all the other places where UN mandates are not enforced. But then, I am just a "bomb Iran wingnut". So much for intellectual conversation, though Pogo, that is not a reflection on you, although you are quite wrong regarding what I have seen so far on Iran.

Sorry Jax,

Maybe you're just calling them as you see 'em.
Heaven knows you've been fed enough grief around here when you said what you believe.

Have a good one.

max, I've been listening to the right talk about bombing aIran for the past 8 years because of the renewed developpment of their nuclear program and deny any protestations that the their program is to provide domestic power. Get your facts straight.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_program_of_Iran

Check out the 2002-2006 and beyond info.

And citing the NIE doesn't impress me much.

"The 2007 NIE report, contradicted the previous 2005 NIE conclusion which asserted that Iran had an active and on-going nuclear weapons program in 2005. According to a senior administration official, in a January 2008 conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Israeli and other foreign officials asked President Bush to explain the 2007 NIE. Bush "told the Israelis that he can't control what the intelligence community says, but that (the NIE's) conclusions don't reflect his own views".[293] After Bush seemed to distance himself from the report, the White House later said Bush endorses the "full scope" of the US intelligence findings on Iran."

lunch

Max,
Gotta side with the majority on the pirate issue. We've discussed it repeatedly and at length for months.....

It's true that is doesn't really strike home until Americans are involved but I've not seen alot of opposition to actual real enforcement action......

Well why not repeat the whole rumor as long as you are going to portray conspiracy theories posing as political discussion.
The somalis are also in league with Iran

http://docstalk.blogspot.com/2009/01/iran-recruits-somali-pirates-to.html

"Get off your petard -- fake moral outrage is over rated"

So much for me setting YOU up for straw men......

When confronted with truthful observations (Saberi is not more newswirthy that many other stories this morning), crap is thrown at me from the start.

Again, the straw I was pushing?

KGC,

"npr disputing the Bush claims of success in halting the Iranian nuclear program"

Actually I agree with you on this issue as Iran now has over 7,000 centrifuges. But Europe has been talking to them for 6 or 8 years and all Iran has manages to do is to further develop their nuclear program. Obama can talk all he wants to them. This is a Middle Eastern country, a male dominate country, where gestures of coinciding together, appeasement is view as weakness. One day this will bite us in the ass.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKDAH95156720090409

The US has been waiting for the students to revolt an over through the Mullahs. But most of Iran is in favor of their nuclear program, and from reports most of them have a firm dislike for Israel. So if there is a revolt, who are the moderates to assume leadership? Replacing one bad group with another bad group doesn't sound like a very good solution.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218406

Max
If that was addressed to me a couple of points

first, that is not my statement
Second that is not a strawman.

For your edification. and maybe others who are not familiar with the term
"The Straw Man fallacy is committed when a person simply ignores a person's actual position and substitutes a distorted, exaggerated or misrepresented version of that position."

http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/straw-man.html

Jack

Gee Max...I guess you forgot about this graph

"Ms Saberi deserves the support of everyone here, especially the women given her background. Where are your principles? Or is the plight of women just a concern at home" How many bales of straw have you used today?

Throw and through. Wow, been here to long.

Have a Happy Easter.

TIR

Hope your Easter holiday is lovely (and your basket full of goodies)

Jamie....
thank you for admitting that you loathe peeps..... I do too.....
was gonna say something this morning..... but thought I'd get labeled as a heretic.....

CBob.... I hope you've seen dickday's latest post on Leave It To Beaver....
I really did have to open that box of Depends while reading it and the comments....

and I'm sending my Easter prayers out to Texas, Okie, and Arkansas.....

If everybody in the world had secular Easter candy, it would be a better place. You can't be in a bad mood while you eat Peeps. Give Peeps a chance. (The moodiness may kick in after the blood sugar plunges...so just have another Peep.)

"stop acting like silly little children"

and a little child shall lead them. .... isaiah 11:6, max

TiR

Some very good points ir to Iran.
I read a commentary the other day, over on the FP web site , I think. That made many of the same points only stronger about the nuclear issue. They said that the nuclear program is very popular and it doesn't make any difference who is in power, it is largely nonnegotiable.
But they also pointed out that we and the Iranians have many mutual interests in the area where we can work together.
You know. we are fighting wars on both sides of Iran and we are both very worried about a radicalized nuclear armed Pakistan.
Another point they made is the right /left line we like to force the world into doesn't work with Iran and one of the main problems in negotiating with Iran is you don't know who has the power to enforce a decision.

It was an interesting article and I wish I could find it again. Because I'm doing a pisspoor job of summarizing it
It was by a Canadian who had been in on the multiparty talks.

Jack

..."and a little child shall lead them. "

... I really do love you guys.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218413

Renee

Both easter and halloween bring out the worst in candy.
As I watch my carb intake I try to eat only quality carbs.
Such as my rare moment of enjoying fried potatoes for breakfast. (for give me doctor for I have sinned)

Jack

"they could have come up with something that sounded a little more serious than a Laurel and Hardy movie."

Pie factory indeed....ha

"If I didn't want to up the Liberal standards, I would not visit here. "

There should be a symbol that indicates the reader has collapsed in mirth on par with the weasels who laughed themselves to death in Roger Rabbit. 'Cause that's where I am right now.

"All this time I got the impression you were a true feminist, not that I agree with them, but you appeared to stick by your feminist comments, on their central issues...I see I was wrong. You are a political feminist, not a issue orientated feminist. Big differance."

OMG! Now I am seriously in danger of laughing myself to death. Inches away.

Fire
Is natures way of removing invasive species in a prairie ecosystem.

Jack

Max, TiR -- I'm beggin' ya -- STOP the bloviating! It's truly killing me.

Jack....
after stating that I won't ever go on another diet.... I went for my quarterly diabetic checkup yesterday morning.... and almost had a heart attack when I stepped on the scale..... no more jelly beans for this camper....

........ handing Patsi a Depends ...........

Jack....
after stating that I won't ever go on another diet.... I went for my quarterly diabetic checkup yesterday morning.... and almost had a heart attack when I stepped on the scale..... no more jelly beans for this camper....

........ handing Patsi a Depends ...........

Speaking of pirates, the American captain jumped off the lifeboat but was recaptured.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/11/world/africa/11pirates.html?_r=1&hp

Patsi, :-)

have no idea how that posted double....

maybe CQ was upset with my jelly beans statement..... :0)

Renee, (Renee).

You go folks. Imagine - attempting to prevent crime among our kids insteasd of punish it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/10/opinion/10fri3.html?ref=opinion

What the hell kind of liberal mumbo jumbo is this? ;-)

"........ handing Patsi a Depends ..........."

And I'm about to need one...PS -- Renee and Jamie -- I don't think I've ever had a Peeps -- are they those pastel chickens and rabbits? If so, they've never tempted me like a Butterfinger....or peanut M&Ms.

Patsi, you're in my candy club, too. I hate anything that resembles a marshmallow - unless it was just on fire or close to it. How about Snickers - also known as the kayaker's lunch?

hard to keep track of who's offending whom, but sure seems to be a lot of butthurtin around here lately:
http://spubba.com/extras/butthurt.pdf

how about we calm down for Easter weekend

patsi, more than you'll ever want to know

official hype
http://www.marshmallowpeeps.com/

unofficial hype
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peeps

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218427

Pogo

I read about that . From what I read it also sounded as if we have a Pirate VIP on board that life boat. Enough so that the pirates are willing to use millions of dollars in hostages as a sheild to come rescue the trapped pirates.
I say bring them on, then we can negotiate the rescue of all the hostages at once.
Lets get this settled.
Where is the Indian navy when you need them.

Jack

Josey Wales: Now remember, things look bad and it looks like you're not gonna make it, then you gotta get mean. I mean plumb, mad-dog mean. 'Cause if you lose your head and you give up then you neither live nor win. That's just the way it is.

LOL

It is probably a good idea that I'm not one of the negotiators.

Jack

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218436

Cbob
Is that in reference to peeps or pirates?

Just wonderin'

Jack

Laura Lee: Kansas was all golden and smelled like sunshine.
Josey Wales: Yeah, well, I always heard there were three kinds of suns in Kansas, sunshine, sunflowers, and sons-of-bitches.

Jack -
I was using Josey lines this morning about ants.
I always thought that particular one , was just about life general.

Lone Watie: We thought about it for a long time, "Endeavor to persevere." And when we had thought about it long enough, we declared war on the Union.

Peace In The Valley by Elvis Presley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W4VKfU3exk

WWJT: ZOMG Y Hv U 4skn Me?
Lisa Derrick Friday April 10, 2009 9:29 am

What would Jesus tweet?
http://lafiga.firedoglake.com/2009/04/10/wwjt-zomg-y-hv-u-4skn-me/

The Passion Play by Trinity Church on Twitter

http://twitter.com/twspassionplay

from la figas's post

via @_Peter_of_: is waiting in the courtyard of the High Priest Caiaphas. I ran scared when the officers came but I need to see how this ends

SPOILER ALERT: He rolls away the stone and there are 2,000 more years of war.

I loved this comment on that link

Jack

"SPOILER ALERT:

He rolls away the stone and there are 2,000 more years of war"

Thought for the day :
" A wise man can see more from a the bottom of a well than a fool can see from a mountaintop. "

I just paste this stuff.

1865 At Appomattox, General Lee issues General Order #9, his last

OK, Patsi, a Diet Coke and a pack of P-nut M&Ms later ...
I would appreciate it if you'd make only suggestive references to specific candies that I like - having no will power to speak of...

And 4 days later in 1865 Lincoln was assasinated
It was on good friday

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln_assassination

Peeps, an haiku

Texture is puzzling
Styrofoam and sweetened sand
Better stale, some say.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218453

Bravo!!
With much snapping of the fingers.

Jack

There's reference to the Indian Navy's actions in this article about piracy off the coast of Somalia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piracy_in_Somalia

I'm curious about why we would rely on the Indian Navy to patrol the waters off Somalia - aside from the obvious proximity issue. While the Indian Ocean washes the Somali and Indian coasts, they are 1500 nautical miles apart.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218454

The men are growing goatees and the women donning black tights as we type.

http://www.johnclarke.com/images/paintings/beatniks_700.jpg

A scathing commentary delivered by one of its own---but not sure where he goes from here---

GOP R.I.P. by John Batchelor, conservative radio show host.

Just a sampling---

"The Gingrich led takeover of the House, matched by the cranky Bob Dole's suzerainty in the lifeless Senate, can now be regarded not as a Republican comeback but as a transitional blip in which the baby boomers and Gen Xers established a new leadership of the Democratic Party."

"As speaker of the House, Gingrich wasted four years talking aimlessly about 'normal Americans.' Then, after he failed against Bill Clinton with the silly ploy of using Monica Lewinsky and her inspector Javert, Ken Starr, Gingrich fled to Fox TV to ramble harmlessly about 'moral tone' and his enemies, 'the very small counterculture elite."

Gingrich's talking points have attracted imitators over the last decade, chiefly the Gingrich mini-me Karl Rove and Rove's carny cration of George W. Bush.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-04-10/gop-rip/full/

http://www.giveitupnorm.com/

GOP R.I.P.
Where does one send flowers ?

Bloviating? Then you're gonna love this---

Pogo, I know others have suffered through this back during the primary when I provided many links to the situation concerning Iran. I will be as brief as possible despite the important details and nuance on this subject.

Back in 2007 when the NIE presented a rather political document regarding the nuclear weapon program in Iran, the Democrats hailed the findings. This was quite strange for two major reasons, but I understood why they did, so do you. This NIE report was put forward to prevent an imminent strike on Iran though our present SECDEF had said THEN no such imminent attack was in the works. Was he lying? And if so then why did Obama retain him for his SECDEF? The reason that it was strange to hear Democrats championing this report was a. the report unambiguously said that Bush-led sanctions had stopped Iran’s nuclear bomb program (though they still deny they ever had one) yet Democrats including Obama were calling off another round of sanctions touting this very same report, b. although the report concluded that the US could not be certain when and if Iran ever restarted their program THEY WERE CERTAIN with high confidence that it had been stopped. More than a few experts saw this contradiction and objected within days of publication.

Many experts at the time including the IAEA and our European allies who wanted to go forward with tougher sanctions after offering Iran a nuclear reactor had several problems with the report for the reasons above. In addition, many experts said that it was no mere coincidence that Iran “stopped” just after our invasion of Iraq and before the impact of sanctions really hurt them. Yet the NIE discounted this fact and instead pointed to continued sanctions. I pointed this all out last summer much to the screams of NEOCON. Of course, anything I said was immediately refuted because I was not toeing the more liberal line on Iran.

Since this report, no matter what you say Bush said or didn’t say, evidence has mounted that the NIE’s high confidence was a political act, not an intelligence judgment. They have no explanation for where the new carbon-based P-2 centrifuges came from. They have not inspected all old sites or the new ones which the very group that uncovered the Iranian program say are related to nuclear bomb and assembly design with NK housing near by.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/08/AR2007070801307_pf.html

Why should they act surprised at the speed of Iranian efforts?

Now Obama talked about hitting Iran with nukes (their weapon making sites) back in 2004. He ran on the principle that American will not let Iran make a bomb or delivery system. Kerry and even Biden have said this recently too. Are their words just bullshit? Of course each day that passes moves Iran closer to de facto nuclear weapons. I see that here anyone calling these Democratic leaders to account for words uttered to win elections is a NEOCON (not that you ever called me that). Hillary Clinton was the only believable person on this subject, but then her words now are shaped by the Obama administration. There is also mounting evidence that Iran, Syria and NK have decided years back to spread out their efforts in their prospective countries. Assad lies to us about al-Kibar and other WMD sites, NK broke off talks when pressed to disclose their full program of WMD efforts and of course, both these countries assist Assad. Israel hit al-Kibar as NK scientists were off-loading shipments of materials.

All this proves is that 1. the intelligence community has moved away from fact to politics 2. the Democrats will say anything to get elected and will cherry pick whatever facts they can to support a monthly security position, 3. Iran is moving dangerously close to nuclear weapons (how is as important as when), 4. our position is increasing the chance of an Israeli strike or a US blocking further eroding our alliance (perhaps the dream of many Liberals), 5. our stance is moving Arabs towards their own efforts (and bowing won’t help), 6. proxies of NK, Syria and Iran are developing a network for clandestine delivery and are not above the use of other groups such as AQ, sanctions which most experts agree slows Iran and makes it harder for the Iranian regime to contain civil discontent is deflected by Democrats and 8. the failure to push sanctions shows Iran we won’t do anything. If Dennis Ross has told the Iranians that enrichment is okay, he situation will stain the Democrats. The consequence of what will happen will land in their lap

Thus I think it is clear your notion that sanctions were not an important tool nor can be now is not supported by fact. From the moment the Mullahs recognized that Obama would likely be the next President , they began a series of provocative behavior. The IAEA objected, the allies spoke out and even experts were taken aback when Iran signaled Hamas to srtat firing missiles at Israel. I have listed in other posts the numerous hostile acts that Iran has committed including the recent arrest of Ms. Saberi. Your idea (maybe I mistake your words) that protest pressuring our leadership will not produce a tougher effort is also not supported. The Gallop polls indicate many Americans do not want Iran to get a nuke or ballistic missile. They don’t trust Assad, NK or the Mullahs. By protesting the horrendous behavior of Iran and company we take away whatever spin Iran airs daily on their peaceful activity. If our leadership feels enough pressure they may pick up the stick. The effort to engage has been both refuted in the words of Khomeini and even the words today from Ahmadinejad. Clinton tried for eight years to peacefully engage Iran and that did not work. Clinton also tried to pressure Sharif to take action against AQ and militants but that didn’t work either. This is the same Sharif, that Obama included in the “moderates” he predicted would save Pakistan should Musharraf resign.

Last, the recent bust of money laundering by the Chinese to import through the US, ballistic and nuclear materials in NYC, proves in the words of Morgenthau, clear evidence that Iran is actively seeking a nuclear weapon.

http://www.latimes.com/business/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-ny-banks-iran-nukes,1,7558984.story

You can spin this what ever way you want, but surely you can’t spin it faster than Iran is spinning their centrifuges, nor can your eloquence (and I mean this in a polite way) turn fiction into fact.

http://www.parstimes.com/INR.html

Now the question is whether Obama, Kerry, Biden, Clinton, Edwards, and others were bullshitting the American people when the proclaimed they would not allow Iran to get the bomb, let alone be allowed to support terrorism or threaten their neighbors with destruction. That will eventually be clear enough. Asking this question and how they intend to do so, does not a NEOCON make.

GOP R.I.P.
Where does one send flowers ?

---------
Like the gangsters in the 20's :

"Bless Wishes Al"

http://www.minnpost.com/politicalagenda/2009/04/10/7999/analysis_of_senate_recount_absentee_ballots_geography_not_strong_predictor_of_which_candidate_would_gain

Minn Post releases analysis of Franken recount and sez Coleman is just stalling and should pack it in.

Gates was retained specifically to wind down the troops in IRAQ

Damn head injuries .......

I like Al Franken very much.

Anyone who listened to his radio program know he is an intelligent, thoughtful, well-informed person.

I proudly made a series of small donations to his campaign and look forward to his taking his place in the Senate.

CBob

The blue corn has landed in Northern Cal

pogo, sez here the pirates (if caught) may wind up in a us court. discovery may provide some interesting testimony about where they got their start up money.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hT4x42Epx7dJ1hGWGictTvw15dUQD97FPBG01

As with any secret agency, we do not know what we do not know about the achievements of the ODNI. Its greatest successes may be hidden from view, and the fact that the United States has not been hit by a second Sept. 11 might well be credited to its efforts. By the same token, we do not know all of its failures, although some dramatic ones have already come into sight.

The most significant of these is the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) of last November, which stated flatly in the first sentence of its declassified summary that Iran had halted its nuclear-weapons program. This was deeply misleading. As the NIE summary acknowledged only in a footnote, the most important element of that program -- uranium enrichment -- was proceeding at full tilt. In February, Mike McConnell, the current DNI, disavowed the document, acknowledging that it should have been handled differently. But by that time the damage to America's Iran policy -- and to the ODNI's own credibility -- had already been done.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120701316736079071.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries

What incredible logic. The NIE stated clearly in a 2007 report intended to keep Bush from hitting Iran (a point disputed by then AND current SECDEF) is actually all wrong now and Bush is to blame for a program Democrats presently say is likely restarted after arguing in 2007 IT IN FACT HAD STOPPED. Bravo. Of course! It was the Democrats who braked the very sanctions that the not-friendly-to-Bush NIE had clearly stated has and would work. Your reasoning is excellent. Keep it up.

Whatever the facts, it is and will always be Bush's fault.

Amazing.

cbob, you observed last night that our conservative colleagues had not asked for blue corn seeds. isn't it possible that they may have looked for some from other sources (such as some of the heritage suppliers)?

Bush no one here but you is talking about Shrub
You're the one who said the NEI said Bush was a success
It doesn't say that.

Ms Cracker -

Well I was rollin' down the road in some cold blue steel,
I had a bluesman in the back, and a beautician at the wheel.
We're going downtown in the middle of the night
We was laughing and I'm jokin' and we feelin' alright.
Oh I'm bad, I'm nationwide.
Yes I'm bad, I'm nationwide.

Easin' down the highway in a new Cadillac,
I had a fine fox in front, I had three more in the back.
They sportin' short dresses, wearin' spike-heeled shoes,
They smokin' Lucky Strikes, wearing nylon too.
Welcome back, we're nationwide.
Yeah we bad, we're nationwide.

Well I was movin' down the road in my V-8 Ford,
I had a shine on my boots, I had my sideburns lowered.
With my New York brim and my gold tooth displayed,
Nobody give me trouble cause they know I got it made.
I'm bad, I'm nationwide.
Girl I'm bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, I'm nationwide

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQCjeb5Dc6s

Thanks CBob
And a lovely Good Friday afternoon to you!

Pat,,,from last thread

" wonder how many people will get married, conceive, play the ponies or lotto because they think it's magically lucky that day that hour that minute and second. hope they don't name the kid that tho...

ah, the wonder and varied colorful names of superstition. don't you agree, solar?",,

Pat I do,,,but you are talking to a guy that has boxed 222,,,more than once,,(^_ ~)

About this thread,,,the D's are no match when it comes to the games that the R's play,,with regard to the Courts,,,like taking candy from a baby,,,Huh President Gore,,,when things like this happen,,,it is on example and reason that they think the D's are weak,,they know that they will go all mushy,,,and say for the good of the country,,I won't go down fighting,,,,I won't go down this road of challenging the vote count,,,well maybe Gore should have,,,,he let the Cheney/bush team imo.

My take on Obama and Iran,,,I think that he is planning an exit strategy with regards to their uranium enrichment ,he has been talking,,and working with the country of Kazakhstan to build a uranium world bank,,,and working thru Japan,,the world third largest importer ( U. S. and France the first and second,I think?),,,When Cheney/Bush forbade Iran to develop uranium enrichment,,all the did was to create an impasse no?,,,it had the reverse results,,,they just speeded up the process of enrichment,,,another Bush failure.

With Kazakhtstan hosting a global uranium bank,,,Irans support of the idea is a good one,,they have said so in the past,,it has the potential to address the us-iran nuclear stand off,,this is how Im reading it,,,but in order for this to happen the diff,,between nuclear energy (the science channel ) for human needs ,,,and for a nuclear bomb,,has to be understood.??

I won't talk too much about the abortion issue,,except to say that IMO,,it doesn't matter how anyone talks about it,,,sooner or later,,it becomes a moral's thing,,,and then it becomes a religious thing,,,,which in turn becomes a stupid thing,,,that is why I did not say much about it,,,,,,Each and every person on mother earth is an individual,,,therefor each and every decision should be that individuals choice to make,,and yes the male should have a say in the matter,,,but not the ultimate decision.

KGC is right in her comments above.
Cheney and others including some Democrats and norammly Left/center experts were amazed that the NIE put forward such a poorly worded and thought out report. Conservatives blasted it yet Democrats hailed the report and the damage was done. Sanctions stopped in their tracks and the EU and the IAEA were taken aback.

Let us not forget that Obama and other candidates (NOT HILLARY CLINTON) chimed in and Obama even mentioned this report to spin his hold off on new sanctions strategy. This was one reason I seriously questioned his judgment. When I brought this up here several months ago, I was slammed as a NEOCON for not going along with the mindset.

Sanctions do work(evidence showed they worked on Saddam), but it is more than just chance the Iranians stopped (and they did pause as there IS evidence) shortly after we invaded Iraq. Obama has made no effort to even bring together a new anction package as leverage. Some experts say he has signaled enrichment may be alright.

What we are witnessing may very weel be.
1. Bullshit promises to the American people to get elected.
2. Continued Bullshit
3. Broken promises then dumped on Bush
4. the consequence of this -an Israeli attack in Iran

If this does turn out to be the case--THAT would be the worst strategic mistake America has ever done suing political expediancy, lies and disotrtion of vital intelligence information far surpassing what happend under BUSH.

Patd -
True .... really old seeds maybe ?

ZZ Top - Pearl Necklace

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5Gsc89TUXg

“Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts.”
--Daniel Patrick Moynihan, sociologist and politician

Since it's Easter and all -

ZZ Top - Jesus Just Left Chicago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8J2OynROcQ

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218453

Peeps go stale? Never had one long enough to know.

Good haiku.

Craig....
you got a pencil I can borrow.... I wanna fill out that butthurtin thing....

Jesus Christ.... I will survive...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFGBaM2VVjM

What Type of Web Commenter Are You?

http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=7302169

(some funny stuff in there for we war-hardened Trailmixers)

A sliver lining in this economic downturn :

" Texas Rep. Joe L. Barton ’s campaign reported losing $703,500 in the financial markets last year.

A large chunk of those stock market losses — $196,900 — were in shares of four companies that have a stake in the bills handled by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where Barton is the top Republican.

Barton is one of a handful of House members whose campaign accounts are heavily invested in stock and bond markets, and, like many other investors, his campaign savings took a pounding when the stock market crashed."

http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000003095556

Joe Barton is an oil company bag man.

and for those of us who need to lose a little weight.....

too much booty in the pants....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJ1bb18nQQg&feature=related

E Prof has caught the gardening mania and drank fresh off the tree orange and grapefruit juice last season. This season trying to get the veggies to survive the Arizona sun and hard baked earth.

http://eprof22.blogspot.com/

Max,

Sanctions did nothing. The conflicting NIEs prove only that our inteligence committee doesn't have a real clue as to how Iran's nuclear program has developed in the face of sanctions. The evidence of this supposed start again stop again nonsense is scanty. We do know that they claim to have 7000 centrifuges now operating and various sources estimate that Iran has or will very shortly have enough enriched uranium to produce a U-based bomb. I will agree that the Bush intelligence community turned away from hard intel to political intel - Gee, I wonder if Cheney had anything to do with that? Why in the world would the NIE, produced by the Bush intel community when the WH, house and senate were under Repug control, produce a document that was politically adverse to Bush wishes? That doesn't make any sense to me.

And I'm not spinning anything or turning fiction into fact, and I resent the suggestion. I am saying that the drumbeat of a war that isn't going to happen is ineffective foreign policy and that we had better engage in diplomacy with all parties in the region, Iran included, if we want to protect our interests there. I don't know how much clearer I can make my position.

"Your idea (maybe I mistake your words) that protest pressuring our leadership will not produce a tougher effort is also not supported." I never said anything about protest influencing our government - I said it's ineffectual in influencing Iran. I thought I said clearly, and if I didn't., I apologize for being obtuse, that our government must engage the Iranian government diplomatically, and I'll add the other governments in the region to that diplomatic effort, if we want to have any influence on either their nuclear program or Ms. Saberi's situation. IMHO blog outrage won't matter one whit.

Iran and Hamas are unquestionably allies. Whether Hamas is the pawn of the mullahs you suggest is another question altogether - and btw, in trying to find a credible source to support that, what I run across are RW sources and pro-Israel sites almost exclusively. And no, I don't have an ax to grind with Israel, although now that Bebe is back in the driver's seat that may be subject to change. And I don't think it matters whether Iran supplies Hamas with the frickin' rockets or the money to buy them elsewhere. Frankly, it makes no sense to me that Iran would admit financial support and deny providing the armaments, but then a lot of things don't make sense to me.

Why do you think I doubt that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons? What have I ever said to suggest that? I have said that we do not have hard evidence that I am aware of that that is the case, and our intelligence track record on msuhroom clouds has been, shall we be kind and say spotty? No, let's be honest - it has sucked. I do not want to see us engage in another Iraq with a country that has much stronger friends in the region than either Iraq had or the US has.

I don't know what the Obama admin will do if Iran claims to have intentions to build a bomb or if solid intel suggests that is happening. Just how do you propose holding the O's and Bs of the world accountable, and do you support a unilateral ground war against Iran to prevent them from enriching that last bit or uranium they need to build a bomb? I do not.

And if you're throwing that "I'm no NEOCON" stuff at me, you can stop it and save yourself the time and trouble of defending against womething I've not accused you of being - I don't care whether you're a NEOCON or not. I prefer to stick to the issues if I can. And I can assure you that Bryan calling you a neocon has absofuckinglutely nothing to do with me. More than a few folks here can attest to my utter distate for and disagreements with him on most issues, to say nothing of my relief that he no longer blogs here.

"I wanna fill out that butthurtin thing..."

Craig, Can we send it to you after we've filled it out?

btw, max, that was in response to your 3:25 post.

Sorry for the length, Craig.

Pogo...the only thing that could possibly have made that post just now any better would have been a frowning pink-star Pogo avatar.

An NIE is the consensus position of the intelligence community that is drawn from consensus positions created in each of the individual intelligence agencies within our government.

The final estimate is a distillation that may, or may not, reflect the potential of the best of the year's crop.

Although the estimates are supposed to contain dissenting opinions, they seldom reflect any of the dissent that was contained in the contributing estimates of the individual agencies.

The recipients of the estimates almost never see any of the raw intelligence that drives the final product.

Personally, I would never wave an NIE in my hand declaring that It is the Truth.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218468

pat, time will tell. I'd say the odds are against that, but I've been wrong before.

Lindsay Lohan wants to buy the life story of Stevie Nicks and portray on the big screen.

Stevei Nicks reaction? "Over my dead body!" LOL!

Solar, the world agreed to sanctions against Iran and prohibited enrichment once they discovered Iran was secretly working on both a bomb and nuclear energy. Please stop demonizing. I know the blame Cheney for everything is an easy fall back here. Bush 1, Clinton and Bush 2 all worked very hard on dealing with the mess in Central Asia after the fall of the Soviet Union.

http://www.nti.org/e_research/e3_19a.html

Bush 2 was congratulated for his cleaning up of Kazakhtsan by the IAEA in efforts largely ignored by the hostile Press. The world powers cannot agree on a nuclear free zone in Central Asia so a bank there is still a problem and experts rather doubt Iran's interest is more than a bluff. A site in Russia and one in Japan are the most likely places for an enrichment bank as reports from the NTI and others consider Central Asia too much of a security risk.

It is false to say Bush did not continue in earnest with good results in dealing with the proliferation mess left over from the Cold War. Russia has extended offers to serve as a world bank and both the US and Russia have plenty of weapon fule for Iran's needs.

Never liked peeps,,,and never like people that said "good morning peeps" either,,,doesn't last for long, far too sweet in both cases!

Lardass,,,Im going with ,,,the alien,,,sell goats and get more wife's,,kinda simple no?

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218483

Tony,,,,

a chinese car salesman went to an optometrist because he was experiencing blurred vision.the doctor asked him if there was any history of--- cataracts---- in his family.he thought for a minute and replied,no but i have an uncle who drives a winken continento.

Tony,,that';s kinda corny,,,here is a real story

Judy and I are watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire while we were
in bed. I turned to her and said, Do you want to have sex?
No, she answered.
I then said, 's that your final answer?
She didn't even look at me this time, simply saying, Yes.

So I said, Then I'd like to phone a friend.hahaha

btw, max, if the footnote in the NIE was correct and Iran was continuing to enrich U in the face of sanctions, doesn't that suggest the sanctions were ineffective? And newsflash - that ALL happened under Bush's watch. Trying to throw the blame anywhere else, particularly on the Obama administration, is just trying to spin that simple fact. btw, what sanctions, if any, do you think have been eased? I'm not sure you've said that, btw.

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=30937

"Over more than 20 years, Washington has steadily upped sanctions against Iranian entities in hopes of pressuring Tehran to pull back on its nuclear program -- which the US says is aimed at developing nuclear weapons."

LL, thanks - very gratifying (but I have no idea where the damned avatar went).

Now I'm headed off to a long Easter weekend - full of TurboTax, lamb, and household repairs. I may see you guys next Wednesday if I don't find a few minutes before then. Everyone have a good Easter or Passover or whatever, if anything, you celebrate. (Stay away from the Peeps - those things are nasty).

Based on Lard's list many of us suffer from multiple personality disorder

KGC,,,LOL,,,I could have Id''d with a cpl of them myself :-)

Max

I see it this way,,,,,once that the R's stop defending the Cheney/Bush mistakes that are obvious,,that has put our country in a financial mess,,,with our military forces,,,fighting wars that were started by them,( you are blaming Obama for this,,by shifting blame),,,,,then you can say that Im demonizing Bush,,,they did do all of this harm haven't they?,,,Haliburton,,black water,(who are the ones that goit rch?),,are the same to me,,,I connect the dots,,,where are the Richard Pearls,,all of the neocons that sold us this war,,,you never mention them,,,no demonizing here,,they fn did it all.,

Irans support of the idea of setting up a nuclear fuel bank holds the potential to address the us-Iran nuclear standoff,,,, on Thursday, the European Union's foreign policy advisor Javier Solana invited Iran's nuclear negotiators for talks. He wouldn't have taken the initiative without synchronizing with the Obama . The big question is whether Washington will shed its reluctance to engage with Ahmadinejad, who is completing his term in office in June. The indications are that Obama might be inclined to directly engage the impact on the presidential poll in Iran notwithstanding.

,,thats my last word on this for now,,going to try and see the Munsters in Spanish,,,that should be a treat.

It is obvious who I am on that list
"The Mystery Genius -- These folks are just the opposite of unacknowledged experts. Whoever they are, they post comments that are so shockingly clever or brilliant that you are left wondering who they are: Slumming Nobel Laureates? Bored nobility? The first glimpse of the Internet gaining consciousness?"

Yep
That would be me

If you don't like Marshmallow Peeps, get the **** out of America.

micro waved peeps ...very entertaining

Now that's the proper flame war,
the peeps vrs the nonpeeps

Just give me a snickers bar and a mountain dew. I'll just sit on the sidelines and polish the dentures.

Jack

Just keep it up, Jack; with your not-so-subtle anti-peeps meme.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218503

LOL

I'll bet it is

This should put a smile on your face. If not there is something seriouly wrong with you.

http://www.takepart.com/blog/2009/02/13/i-aint-oinking-around-kingsford-is-the-cutest-thing-ever/

Marshmallow Peeps = Chinese Drywall

Chinese Drywall as more empty calories .

Your lordship
I'm just a wounded warrior having done my best in a younger time. As any one can see from my dental work and my blood sugar testing kit.

Jack

hey.....
your lordship......

bend over....... here comes your friggin' peeks.....

oooooops....

I meant peeps..... they're purple....

How can people devote so much time and thought to this blog when you are at work? You must be either IT people or own the company. That latter part of that comment seems a bit scary.

First Pogo you start off with a false premise, that Bush somehow controlled the findings of the 2007 NIE report. The administration was surprised and many experts and media made that very clear. You suggest;

"I will agree that the Bush intelligence community turned away from hard intel to political intel - Gee, I wonder if Cheney had anything to do with that? Why in the world would the NIE, produced by the Bush intel community when the WH, house and senate were under Repug control, produce a document that was politically adverse to Bush wishes? That doesn't make any sense to me" Your statement here is absolutely unsupported. Show me the proof.

I have plenty to the contrary but let's just take the NYT's spin.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/03/world/middleeast/03cnd-iran.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

I think from the above it is clear how you try and turn fiction into fact so I don't know why you feel resentful.

Then you continue to claim the drum beat for war will not produce military action, yet you never address the pressure on Israel to act. Of course our President, his SECSATE have both said force is on the table. Are they lying? And of course you never address the statements by a number of Democratic leaders that the US will not allow Iran to get a bomb. At least admit here, by your reckoning, they were lying. I think this IS significant, don't you?

Then you quote me suggesting that I said protest would convince Iran directly. It was you who made the leap. I have always thought that protest would pressure OUR leaders to in turn pressure Iran. Since I do believe that sanctions hurt Iran. And pressure can fall indirectly as you can see from my last link that Russian has and continues to waiver in support of Iran. Certainly they are sensitive to Western outcry at times, yes? It was you who put words in my mouth. A number of Russian experts are expressing concerns as well.

Of course we can argue about how much we have or have not engaged Iran diplomatically. Are you really suggesting the world hasn't or that we never have? And after all that, what has changed?

As for Hamas, no non-Israeli experts have claimed Iran triggered the missile attack by Hamas? And that only after Hamas leadership went to Iran, negotiations between Fatah/Egypt and Hamas broke down? Seriously? And are you stating your internet prowess can not confirm to you that Iran supplies both money and missiles? Try harder. And Hizb'Allah? Please. Shall I provide links? Lets be serious. I suppose Israel or the US didn't just take out an illegal shipment via Sudan. Or did you not know (I linked the news here) that the US had an illegal arms ship impounded on the way to Gaza?. So until you come up with some facts, where do you come off refuting the idea that Iran does not supply training, money and arms. Hillary Clinton and Obama both say Iran supports terrorists. How so? Want to take that one on? And Pogo, eloquence is not needed.

And then you claim you never said Iran is not seeking the bomb, but then you say,

"I have said that we do not have hard evidence that I am aware of that that is the case, and our intelligence track record on msuhroom clouds has been, shall we be kind and say spotty? No, let's be honest - it has sucked. I do not want to see us engage in another Iraq with a country that has much stronger friends in the region than either Iraq had or the US has."

So what are you saying? That you just don't know? Well I don't think Morgenthau and many others agree. And friends in the area? AQ and the Taliban hate Iran. Iraq fought a bloody war with Iran. Arabs loath Iran. Sure, Iran has more allies in the area than we do. And their neighbors all love the Iranian leadership.

Where have I ever supported a "unilateral ground wa: against Iran. Notice your original false premise discounting sanctions. Since you are wrong, sanctions must be tried further now. And Germany is Iran's largest trading partner. If they really put on sanctions the Mullahs are facing a revolt. There are millions they are oppressing and we are doing little to put the squeeze on. And really Pogo, after all I am not the President who said he would not allow Iran to get the bomb. Why don't you use this blog to ask him. In the end, there is the last resort of air strikes, supporting more insurgency and even targeting their nuclear leadership directly. Maybe we can get those Cheney hit squads to bone up on their Farsi.

And frankly closing out your comments by bringing up a claim I clearly said did not apply to you in plain English;

"I see that here anyone calling these Democratic leaders to account for words uttered to win elections is a NEOCON (not that you ever called me that)."

serves what purpose? To suggest that in a fictional world I accused you of calling me a NEOCON?

That was sloppy at best, Pogo and I'm surprised Lardass said what he did. Oh and by the way, Pogo, you never explained how you feel about a candidate fawning center saying "The US will not allow Iran to have nuclear weapons" and a policy that likely will do nothing? And don't you think that the evidence gathered in Iraq shows that sanctions did in fact prevent Saddam from doing what Iran is now? And if a strike by Israel or someone else slows Iran down, why would that be unreasonable given the support and hardware you are not certain Iran is giving to their proxies in order to achieve the aims the declare in the light of day?

But Peeps keep up in the out gassing of formaldehyde & volatile compounds..

Forget the peeps---its the great Pizza Caper

"Obama imports pies" from St. Lous (not Chicago)--actually the owner of a pizza place (Pi)--flew to DC to make pizza for the White House staff (on his own dime--though right wing is suggesting differently)

http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/0409/pizza_diplomacy_518fba10-cb5d-4350-bb6f-7a339ab585e6.html

Lord Bloggington actually prefers his peeps around Christmas-time in tree-form. Easter is prime chocolate-thievery season; can't be wasting time on peeps.

Hey, TiR; don't you have to pray to your Rush Limbaugh shrine 5 times a day? How do you fit your posting in?

Coreen
Well at least Obama sticks to Chicago style pizza no matter where it hails from...personally I like thin crust...

Marshmallow Peeps >>> Chinese Drywall >>> Conservative Manifestos >>> All leave a chalky after taste.

Sorry, Renee; I gave up peep-jobs for Lent. Save them for Sunday.

Norm Coleman outta give it up, throw in the towel, call it a day, take his toys & go home, & STOP already.

Love ya Al.

tt

I was a peep once,,,but then I got cought ,,,and had to say 50 hail mary's

TiR.... I own the business....

KGC.... thin crust..... me too....
we're opening a bottle of Il Bastado this evening.... in honor of all the fat we will consume this weekend....

TiR

I keep the wife employed and make sure her parrot is happy. As long as he wants to keep me I'm secure.

Jack

ah your lordship....
that must have been hard....

I gave up smoking for Lent....
in solidarity with Craig....

Rick is barbecuing some really nice steaks.....
think I'll have some jelly beans for dessert.....

KGC,

Glad you are still in the neighborhood.

Your shrimp sandwich & the shrimp/argula/tomato treats at your Seasonal Pantry look delicious.

And yes, I like thin style pizza too---and we all know the best is here on the East Coast!

(and if you really want to get very local---in the Bridgeport/New Haven CTarea--the cheese is very often called "schamoz"! Have no idea of the actual translation---but that is how you learn to order cheese pizza.

And since it is Good Friday---we will be having pizza frit this evening.

Truth, it comes in waves. Actually posting today did mess me up with a few appointments. I guess passion trumps responsibility sometimes. For me, I have been building some projects for clients in my Studio. I vanished for a long time because of work. It will happen again soon (like Monday) as everyone will be happy, especially those calling me an asshole, fascist, NEOCON, idiot and other wonderful things....(not that you ever said that Pogo)...lol At least Brian wasn't a hypocrite (and I didn't mean that for you Pogo). Often I visit the Right side and blast their positions of idiocy. I believe in being fair, even if it earns no income.

For me, butting up with the distinguished host and his bloggers here keeps me in touch with politics of a sort. It helps to show me how Liberals, like fashion change over time. Beyond the mud slinging, there is heart. I suspect when I take leave, there will little to check the conformity. Except perhaps our host, Craig.

Bloggington -
You realize that you have become "Jimmy" from the Seinfeld episode.

Jerry, George and Kramer finished playing a game of basketball with Jimmy (Anthony Starke), a man who always refers to himself in the third person. Jimmy is wearing special training shoes which supposedly improve vertical leap, and George wants a pair.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jimmy

Oh, I'm sorry you all. Good Friday and a nice Easter.

Must be tough to be the smartest person in the room or think you are

Coreen

Thanks
The pizza from the New Haven area also has a rep of its own
and terminology

* Jerry: I don't know how you can eat that spicy chicken.
* George: George likes spicy chicken.
* Jerry: What's that?
* George: I like spicy chicken.
* Jerry: No, no you said "GEORGE likes spicy chicken".
* George: No I didn't!
* Elaine: Yes you did. You said "George likes spicy chicken".
* Jerry: You're turning into Jimmy!
* George: (irritated) George is getting upset!

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218516

Hey what gives? Pizza from St Louis? How quickly they forget Chicago. What do you expect from a transplant from Hawaii. But you woiuld think Michell would know better.
What da ya think about that Solar? Pizza from St Louis. Next think ya know he will be a Cardinals fan.

Jack

Damn, there was a politician speaking on cable news in the third person recently. I remembered this epsiode and I couldn't stop laughing.

Max thought it very very funny.

Jack

It was just a matter of time that he throw the bestes Pizza city in the Country,,,under a bus,,,,and that coz we don't make pizza's with arugula HA!

Had an incredible slice of thin crusted "Grandmas" sicilian pizza today in NYC. It was fantastic. Brooklyn is a pretty good place too.

Max is hungry. Max must go make dinner my little lady will disconnect the internet.

Max says bye......

Heads up Craig -

Tomorrow morning, C-SPAN Radio will air new calls from Pres. Lyndon Johnson. They are the latest and last release of his conversations provided by the LBJ Library.

During one call, on August 29, 1968, Pres. Johnson is dressing down then-CBS president Frank Stanton for what he considers biased media coverage of the Democratic convention in Chicago.

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/generalities/tv_news_bias_thats_nothing_new_your_industry_is_wrecking_all_of_us_113803.asp#more

"Kramer took the bread out of Jimmy's mouth"
"Don't touch Jimmy !"

"I suspect when I take leave, there will little to check the conformity."

What an asshole.

Lord Blogginton regrets sticking up for Max, now. His humblest apologies.

My favorite boss loved stale Peeps, LB. She'd open a pack at work and leave them out on the desk (where not even the ants would touch them) for a couple weeks before eating. Gr0ce. Sorry, kids, but Peeps are the Tucker Carlson of candy: pretty to look at, but lacking in substance.

Forgot to add "and annoying after awhile."

"North Carolina's Cape Fear is 22nd bank to fail in '09"

That would be almost 2 a week.

Jack

Posted by: lord-bloggington.myopenid.com | April 10, 2009 6:20 PM : "Lord Blogginton regrets sticking up for Max, now. His humblest apologies."

Maxtrue doesn't need anyone to stick up for him. Most certainly he doesn't need help from the shallow end of the pool.

What the NIE missed and Mossad didn't, was the erection of Iran's offline facility in Syria. Iran's IRBM is too puny to lift an A-Bomb. Either they have to figure out miniaturization or they have to spend a decade or more devising and testing larger rockets. Or, they could try the rusty freighter approach. Iran opted for the 3d, with the added wrinkle that the rusty freighters would bring the constituent parts to Syria for assembly. So far, we don't know what method they would use to transfer the bomb to Israel - or a point just off the Israeli coast.

Happy Holidays, xrep.

Peeps-
My first year in the chocolate business I thought I would make home made peeps with out the chemicals. Ha! They don't want anything BUT the peeps from Just Born Inc. So I started dipping them in chocolate. Peep fanatics are a strange bunch, very diverse and not at all predictable. I can never see one coming. Sorry Jamie ;-)

Since we're all conforming , may I suggest a uniform :

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/130/snapshot20070605065501hw7.png

Something in a nice Sunk ?

SolarCrete,

There is some difficulty with a nuke fuel bank; the currency is not standardized. Except for France, no nation has set about to standardize its reactors. So, the fuel rods come in all shapes and sizes, especially in the US.

I wonder, what makes people think that Iran doesn't want to build an A-Bomb ? The US, soviet Empire, British Empire, French Empire, Chinese Empire, Israel, the Indian Empire, Pakistan, and north Korea all wanted to build one. So, what makes Iran different ?

Plot holes and spelling errors, time to go.

Could one of you military men please explain to me where the hell are the SEALS?

"was the erection of Iran's offline facility in Syria."

And where do you get this? From what I've read the Syrian reactor was North Korean tech.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/syria/nuke.htm

Also, why would Iran use Syria to develop a bomb when they have more secure places in their own country. To do what you are proposing Iran would have to be both crazy and stupid. They are mostly neither one.

Happy Passover and Merry Easter, lord-bloggington. Happy Tax Day, too.

" How about Snickers - also known as the kayaker's lunch?"

Pogo -- Good but I like more crunch and less goo....

LL -- that list is hysterical. And from now on I plan to post this often: "and that's why I buried the drifter in my crawl space" --

"what makes people think that Iran doesn't want to build an A-Bomb ?"

Just what people are we talking about here?

OSH

I would bet that they are on the ship planning and waiting on orders.
The life boat is covered so you can't see inside and they do have a hostage.
We could do like the Indians did blow the pirates up and see if any hostages survive.

Jack

Jack- Those SEALs are most amazing, just wish they would make their appearance. . Don't understand why one hasn't punctured the boat from underneath, lurked in the waters waiting for it to sink and then grab the Capt. Guns don't work when they are wet do they?

Hey Jack- Please send me your address!

Max must add LB to the list. Max didn't see LB say much as Max was called many things, though I did note one warning from you while Max was on line. Conformity LB? Maybe just in calling Max nasty things.

Patsi,

Damn, I've been wondering all day where I left that drifter.

OSH

They will work almost as good wet as they do dry. A dip in the water won't hurt the ammo at all. It is kinda hard to swim an shoot an AK47 at the same time. But would you want to bet your life on it?

Jack

And thank you XRepublican........Max is tough enough.

And if Max is an asshole, Max is in some fine company here (and I don't mean you Pogo).

Why would Iran. Syria and NK duplicate efforts over three countries? Isn't that obvious? Gees.....

Whiskyjack,

I thought SolarCrete was suggesting that Iran might actually be serious in wanting a nuke fuel bank, and that they weren't really out to make an A-Bomb.

Almost everyone I know wants a nuke.

Tulip Time officials have denied Right-To-Life's request to enter a float in this year's Tulip Time parade. Right-To-Life tried to make a compromise on the float, but Tulip Time's final word was 'No."

Stevie Nicks' comment on Lindsay Lohan "She needs to stop doing drugs and get a grip!" This comes a day or so after Briteny Spears told her audience "Stop smoking weed!"

Speaking of drugs and enforcement, a county sheriff's deputy here is gonna go to trial for shooting a college student the police suspected of being a drug dealer. They raided the kid's apartment. It was dark and the deputy saw someone moving. He thought they were reaching for a gun, so he fired a shot. He hit the kid in the chest. He lived, but the only drugs he had in his possession was a small amount of weed. This has gotten a lot of publicity on the news and on Facebook as well.

The pirates are all landlubbers . Figure they would be more worried about figuring how to swim than holding their guns. I lost my patience with them when I heard the pirates are sending in reinforcements.

"Max didn't see LB say much as Max was called many things"

You must have been busy reading your own posts, which is understandable, considering that you monopolized the last 4 threads.

As they say, no good deed goes unpunished.

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Bidens-Puppy-Breeder-Never-never-never-again.html?yhp=1

I feel badly for the lady, she's probably a conscientious breeder who only lets her dogs go to loving homes able to care for them.

I don't want a shelter dog. I want puppy mills and backyard breeders to stop indiscriminately breeding dogs that end up needing to be rescued into shelters.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218483

LL, Reading through that list was a good laugh, and a recognition that this place is fortunate in having a nice group of relatively sane folks. I probably shouldn't say that too loudly as it might attract or encourage some of the stranger types.

Max - I think the problem has been your stated purpose
in posting here. You want to "up" the quality of this blog.

The seems to say we need to be improved and you know that you are the one to do it. Your attitude announces itself before you complete your first
sentence, and I stop reading. I have few fixed opinions about most of this stuff, and you have many, including the basic one that we here know nothing and refuse to be taught.

Even If that is not your real feeling, I suspect it is the feeling we are picking up. You sound disgusted with us, and it's condescending, which is boring.

You are interested in a great many things and that's cool, but you also are interested in telling us how wrong we are.

I've been reading along for the past week or so and have posted very little - it's been a pretty ugly blog.

If I'm reading you wrong, do you think you try to state your ideas and thoughts a little less passionately, and give others a chance to state theirs? This can be a very great place for us to meet, but not if you want to keep making charges against us.

TiR - that link was marvelous!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks! As for my time, I'm retired and enjoy this place for the different
kinds of people on it and for their strengths and knowledge. We are nice and caring people who can and do disagree often - I tend to swallow my disagreements, but others do not and I like that. I don't want to be around people who are exactly like me, so long as they are not mean and threatening. That's why I finally spoke up now - this last week and especially today, with the name-calling and such has been a nightmare. I can only hope it dries up.

Jax - I agree that you were unusually snarky today, if without name-calling. I generally don't agree with you and have always been grateful that you were so pleasant, and then you ended today with your usual gracious way. thank you so much.

Charles Darwin's egg

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7992911.stm

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Obama administration is "carefully considering" the setting up of an international uranium fuel bank in Kazakhstan, which could form the exit strategy for the historic US-Iran standoff. That is why the visit by the Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad to Astana, Kazakhstan, on Monday assumes exceptional importance.

In bits and pieces, a stray thought has been surfacing in the recent months in the US discourses over the situation surrounding Iran. It sought a rethink of Washington's insistence on Iran jettisoning its pursuit of uranium enrichment as a pre-requisite of commencement of direct talks between the two countries. This was borne out of a growing realization that the US insistence was no longer tenable. A logjam has indeed developed as it became clearer by the day that within the fractious Iranian opinion there is virtual unanimity when it comes to the continuance of the country's nuclear program, and effecting a regime change in Tehran didn't necessarily alter Iran's policies.

The Obama administration faces the reality that unless the impasse is broken somehow, the standoff continues. The standoff worked to Iran's advantage only insofar as the country speeded up its nuclear program ever since the series of United Nations (UN) Security Council resolutions since 2006 began forbidding Iran from enriching uranium. Iran today has installed over 5,500 centrifuges and built up a stockpile exceeding 1,000 kilograms of low-enriched uranium.

"I lost my patience with them when I heard the pirates are sending in reinforcements"

We can only hope.
Maybe they will all come out for a rendezvous.
That way we can settle this problem once and for all.

Jack

Posted by: maxtrue | April 10, 2009 7:40 PM :
"Why would Iran. Syria and NK duplicate efforts over three countries? Isn't that obvious? Gees....."

"I, Ahmed, will bring the soft drinks; Kim will bring the cups, and you, Bashir, will carry the bomb."

It all makes perfect sense to me. Btw, Lord Snarkington must be off attending Adoration at St. Finean's

Max says point well taken.

Max will suggest that when another is engaged with him in a serious exchange worthy of such bandwidth, email will be the better option.

Maxtrue1@yahoo.com no hate mail please.

LB and Craig have been most gracious to Max over bandwidth use, but then Max gets it from all sides and feels the need to defend himself. Others would not like it if Max sniped nasty at every view they had. When treated like some loonie war mongering right wing asshole, Max returns the fire with words and links.

Lord B - incidentally, I do SO enjoy your third person
discourse. Please do not cease its use. Thenk you.

Rev. Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir and the Not Buying it Band:

http://blip.tv/file/647701/

(rev billymust of gotten hold of a bad peeps.......)

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, beth, but there's only one original...

;^)

Xrep

I suspect you are right after all Iran is surrounded by members of the nuclear club. Also, they have the example of how we treat a nonnuclear country in Iraq and a nuclear one , North Korea.

As I see it the nuclear fuel bank is a proposal by us to give Iran a way to save face. They can keep their nuclear program thus keeping the people at home happy but give up dreams of owning the bomb. Will they buy it? Maybe eight years ago but not now. The program is too far along, they are too close to their goal.

Jack

Too funny. Our former buddy Don1 who hasn't been around since discovering Twitter. He was commenting on the Twitter of the Passion that took place today:

"Something I never thought I'd say. Jesus Christ is following me."

Rev. Billy and the Church of Life After Shopping:

http://www.revbilly.com/

Rev Billy's outlook:

About Us
Reverend Billy and The Church in Times Square
Statement of Belief

Reverend Billy and the Life After Shopping Gospel Choir believe that Consumerism is overwhelming our lives. The corporations want us to have experiences only through their products.

Our neighborhoods, "commons" places like stoops and parks and streets and libraries, are disappearing into the corporatized world of big boxes and chain stores. But if we "back away from the product" – even a little bit, well then we Put The Odd Back In God!

The supermodels fly away and we're left with our original sensuality. So we are singing and preaching for local economies and real – not mediated through products – experience.

We like independent shops where you know the person behind the counter or at least –you like them enough to share a story.We ask that local activists who are defending themselves against supermalls, nuke plants, gentrification – call us and we'll come and put on our "Fabulous Worship!"

Remember children... Love is a Gift Economy! — The Rev

SolarCrete,

Thanks for the explication. I also don't see the difficulty of speaking with Ahmadinejad. We spoke with the russkies - Malenkov, Bulganin, and Khrushchev - at the height of the cold war. We prattled with Mao and bargained with Chou. Nonetheless, Turkey, Iran, and Taiwan weren't sold out. Israel be either.

Awwwwwwwww so cute
http://blogs.catster.com/the-cats-meow-a-cat-and-kitten-blog/this-easter-beware-of-identity-theft/2009/04/09/

Jack

I believe that's correct,,and they are also afraid of Israel,,,the only way that a bank would work,,is for disarmament,,,and we know that is not going to happen,,,even if Israel doesn't admit that they have a bomb,,Iran knows that they do...so that is their goal,,,getting the bomb for themselves,,,,about 1218-20 or so Genghis Khan had no problem taking over that part of the world,,,Obama should have no problem either,,,just kidding,,,a whole diff world now.

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=105&sid=1643296

Solar, Bush initiated the bank project with Kazakhstan, but a few countries including Russia won't agree yet to the area being a nuclear free zone which does hold up the idea (see earlier link). And then Ahmadinejad's idea of a one world currency won't fly. In additon there must be verification and presently the regime in Iran has ruled out South African like verification.

I never said it was a bad idea and it was hardly Obama's though who really cares? There is also the Caspian sea dispute which will be linked and is partly why Ahmadijad probably favors this idea more than using Russia. If we can verify Iranian programs and they really give up the bomb, this would be a great solution. I suspect either details or insincerity will do this in. But we can always hope. No doubt military action is an ugly business.

That should read, "Israel won't be either." Dam' editor. I just fired his lousy ass outa here.

Gotta go cook dinner for Sweetie.

peep show III with peeptanamo bay:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2009/04/10/GA2009041001969.html

There is another more plausible idea. The vision of the Mullahs seen in their export of ideology to Hamas and Hizb"allah and even to Africa and beyond, require them some defense should countries take action against them for Iranian sponsored aggression. Saddam was more the initiator of Iranian programs than anyone, boasting of a nuclear program when Iran first started their secret program. The Shah even had plans for 26 plants and no one at the US State Department ever told him he was nuts. We even gave him a starter reactor. Still, nukes aren't the real reason NK has leverage. In a short time many South Koreans would die from conventional attacks. The region is prone to serious earthquakes.

The region near Iran and Kaz that is...

SEAT AL !! It is time to storm the rooms and cause a major disruption like those Florida Repuggs did in 2000!

http://www.democratsenators.org/o/4/p/5000/giveitupnorm?&tracking_code=Franken

Democratic Senate Caucus Franken web site
they are taking suggestions for action

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218483

Luv that list, Lard. Added it to external links in the commenting guide:

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/commenting-guide.html

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218594

You go, Dex. Was wondering when somebody around here would finally get fired up about this.

Max,,,,you see how it's done,,,one talks,,the other listens,,,then asks a question to clarify,,,,at no time did any name calling go on,between XR and myself,,it becomes a problem,,only when you insist that it is your way or the highway,,,and tell us that we are dumb bunny's,peeps,,,or scared rabbits,,cos we are not the warriors that you say we should be,,,any way that's what I get out of it,,,,no more of this cos im gonna have my first Budweiser ,,,my first cigarette in months (one) and a shot of tekill you,,,and maybe tell a joke,,,,,ps I kinda like some of the stuff that you say,,,just don't insist that you are right,,,or so loud all of the time,,,no one here is here to make you look less than what you are,,you can only do that yourself IMO,,in other words take it easy.

One year, a husband decided to buy his mother-in-law a cemetery plot as a Christmas gift

The next year, he didn't buy her a gift.
When she asked him why, he replied, "Well, you still haven't used the
gift I bought you last year!"
And that's how the fight started...

Craig

The democrats are to busy fighting with each other.
Actually the Senate ought to grow a set and take charge and just declare it over and seat him.
Instead it is looking like the pirate chief whose men are facing down these huge guns and have the balls ton demand a ransom.
I got to admire that pirate, he knows how to play a bad hand. He would be mean at a poker table.

Jack

LordB - gotcha.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/03/10/Iran-allows-lawyer-to-see-jailed-reporter/UPI-35191236696427/

Uh, I hate to throw cold water on the idea of storming the vote count, but the matter is going to the Minnesota Supreme Court in St Paul, now. You know how St Paul handled demonstraters last September. You'd be lucky to get out uninjured !

If you miss it, try to catch Real Time tonight. Ron Howard on first half hour being wonderful, and then Gore Vidal being wonderful and brilliant

Of course they'll treat her well, as long as they see her as a bargaining chip.

Gore Vidal quote tonight, "I can read the New York Times without moving my lips, which is a sign of Communism."

I think that for the first time I must disagree with Jamie. I have always found that Gore Vidal interviews display a tedious egotist, who is more interested in style than substance. If I have to listen to a Gore, please make him Al.

There's NO reason for this, and I hope it gets FIXED!!!

"Food safety for this century"

"EACH YEAR, 5,000 Americans die of food poisoning, and 325,000 require hospitalization. And things are not improving; new data released by the Centers for Disease Control on Thursday show there has been no reduction in food-borne illnesses in the past three years, and that salmonella infections may be rising."

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2009/04/11/food_safety_for_this_century/

tt

I vividly remember the alleged buckley/vidal debate, which brought cheer to me.. I was still a card carrying member of the reds in those days. (I even had a membership card signed by some grand high comrade-in-chief) Anywho, I well remember that Vidal's performance cast gloom into the enemy camp. They had hoped for better. Oddly, in his later years, buckley affected that same effete and snotty pose that was Vidal's signature, and that had turned American stomachs.

Bill Clinton could have shredded both of them at once, with one hand gesture tied behing his back.

Tiptoe,

The use of refridgerating devices should help a great deal. So should cooking until meat reaches an interior temperature of 160 F. Foods that are particularly susceptible to anaerobic bacteria, like Salmonella and Claustridium Botulinum, should not be stored in airtight containers. Never handle food when you have a skin infection. Proper food handling at home would make a huge difference.

Gotta go poison myself with a bedtime cookie, Goodnight.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/04/gop-recount-demand-unlike-2000.html#comment-218609

He was brilliant and witty tonight. If I can be half as erudite at 85, I'll consider myself fortunate. I hope that even if you don't like him that you have at least read Burr, LIncoln, and Empire.

He's written a few other things, but those are my favorites

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gore_Vidal#Novels

The main reason that salmonella infections are rising is that it is showing up in fruits and vegetables due to run off from factory farms near crops, decreased inspection of packing plants where rodents and mold are present. All because Bush introduced "self inspection and report" in order to decrease the number of government inspectors.

It's another Thanks George.situation

On 20/20 tonight, they talked about the outrage in Congress over the peanut butter salmonella after 9 people died. But, there was no outrage in Congress after all the recent shootings that resulted in almost 50 deaths.