Craig Crawford's Trail Mix

How to add your comment on Trail Mix.. http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/commenting-guide.html

For the latest thread on Trail Mix every day, bookmark this.. http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-07-15/dr-deans-second-opinion/?cid=hp:originalslist1

"Dr. Dean's Second Opinion"

"For the first time since Harry Truman, real health-care reform is finally within reach. While health-care reform may well pass with only Democratic votes just like Medicare in 1965, this should no longer be seen as a fight between liberal and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans. This is now a fight between the insurance companies and the American people. The reason we are finally going to get real health-care reform is that the plan President Obama put forward recognizes the importance of giving the American people a choice: If you like what you have, you can keep it. If you don’t, there will be a public-health-insurance option. The president’s steadfast support has been critical to reform because without a public option, there is no reform, just a shuffling of deck chairs and wasting $1 trillion in taxpayers' money."

Craig - A+ today for finding the obscure and fringe elements. Maybe it would be possible to take the extremes of those that claim the banners of each political party and send them to an Island. That would make an interesting reality show

Starting with the Newt Gingrich created "Contract With America", the Republican party has driven toward some steadily shrinking political purity while the world changed around them. Anyone having even a slightly moderate opinion is being driven into the ranks of the Independents so that about all the Republicans have left are the crazies.

Of course this is what had happened to Democrats before when they went so far left that their middle had wandered off to the Republicans until Bill Clinton brought them back home.

These swings of the pendulum are normal except that now the activists in the political parties are sitting at the farthest ends of the arc while the public for the most part plops itself down in the broad middle and tries to forget the whole thing until forced to pay attention by either war or economics, both of which happen to be going on now.

Craig-

One of those choir members was on CNN this morning. A car dealer in Kansas City--buy a pick-up truck in the month of August and receive a free AK-47.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,636565,00.html

"HILLARY CLINTON'S KEYNOTE SPEECH
Fighting For Influence in Obama's White House"

The president's speech was announced at short notice. Something like that needs be agreed upon beforehand, complained one Washington insider. Or maybe it was completely deliberate. Clinton was "upstaged by Obama," commented the New York Daily News.

"That must hurt. A lot. Clinton worked for six weeks on her keynote speech and her aides prepared for it with a PR offensive. They had spokespeople from other departments praise Clinton's loyalty and influence in the administration. They made sure people remembered how popular Clinton was with the people, even more so than the president. They pointed out how logical her reserve at the beginning of the presidency was: The president was still overshadowing everything else and as a new senator Clinton had also once learned the ropes without attracting attention.

There are 100 senators but there's only one secretary of state -- and only one Hillary Clinton. Is she now being downgraded to become a kind of globally recognizable government mascot, only responsible for Haiti and alleviating world hunger?"

Tony, a bad bill can be even worse than the status quo, or do you not believe that possible? We all want reform, but if the stimulus package is an indication, what makes you think the healthcare package being rammed through will improve things? What we are seeing i exaclty what happens when one party gets too much leverage. Democrats are even running attack ads against Democrats. Sebelius could not tell Stewart that the MIddle Class getting slammed with higher healthcare costs will see a reduction of rates without a falling off of quality. She sat there and said bullshit which let Stewart, though polite, somewhat bewildered. When Stewart made a joke about Obama, NOT A SINGLE LAUGH WAS HEARD.

Ping Pong, yep. Even Jews have their problems: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8155350.stm

Jamie. the "activists" on the Left are certainly closer to the action than the Right. OBama has not slammed them back as Bill did. If I wasn't so stubborn, my more centrist views would have been driven off Trail Mix by you "Moderates" long ago. And the Clintons who represented a more moderate approach was trashed by a campaign that brought the Left closer to policy than ever before, not towards some moderation of their views. If you don't think Obama was aided by playing to the Left of Clinton, I don't know what papers you read.

Newt hardly represents the harsh Right and it is much to do about spin. While some here bashed the racist Republicans, no one cared to comment on Boxer's statement yesterday. Had Republicans pulled the race card as it was used during the primary against Hillary by the O-team, I can't imagine the outrage here.

You seem to think this is some defense of the GOP. It is not. It is rather a reflection of claims made by Democrats. Anyone comment on the CBO report? Anyone dare ask how Obama could pressure Israel to negotiate with parties unable to keep from KILLING EACH OTHER let alone renounce their claim to destroy Israel? Anyone even question the smarts of calling terror a man-made disaster? Anyone prfoundly distrubed by an annual interest payment of 1 trillion dollars? How lonm can the answer to these questions be: well the Republicans are worse?

No, everything is just fine in Camelot. Dodd might actually save his ass. Edwards might get a TV program where he can take shots at evil Palin.

Your take is built on moving the 50 yeard line to the Left. I suspect it will get jerked to the Right in due time despite the very obit you give the GOP that the Press gave Democrats in 2002. Now that was only seven years ago.

Good post Tony, but Hillary supporters here don't seem to care. They have been drinking the kool aid and have forgotten the stark differences between Obama and Clinton. I for one have not. I have never demonized Obama. I have even defended him at times against his rabid base. I have not changed my views just because of what flies as PC. But then I am still called a closet Republican.....

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/open-the-liberal-floodgates.html#comment-244517 "I believe the beauty of life, and it's wonder, is not in its symmetry, but in its seemingly incomprehensible complexity"

I don't know how to say how taken I was by that sentence.... absolutely beautiful.

.... and Jack, this is so true too:
"
so anything that doesn't feed or clothe us is just part of the game that we use to amuse ourselves." http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/open-the-liberal-floodgates.html#comment-244522

Don't you just hate it when Dick Morris is correct -- five months before anyone else.. http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/02/hillarys-power-vacuum.html

Craig, no doubt the Republicans have some real problems. For the good of the country I hope they get their act together. They can't just run against Obama's falling graces (if that really happens to a significant degree). They have to run FOR something. Jamie is right they trend now towards vilifying moderates. If Goldwater was alive he would be quite pissed.

The funniest thing is that Reagan was really a New Deal Democrat. When the GOP wakes up and understands this, maybe the can put a foot forward instead of their ass. Yep, guns in bars is a sensible move. I wonder if they understand their abdication of reason has allowed the very push Left they deplore. If Rush and Palin is the best they can manage, the real fight will be internally on the Left, or when a major crisis leads some Republicans to gather steam and break the crisis on the Right.

I think I was even earlier than here at the Trail.

Patd, I never got to say how much I empathize with your lightning problem (was it last week?). Haven't seen you here as much, and hope you have your problems all straightened out.

My house of cards is at an end .
Posted by: Colorado Bob | July 16, 2009 9:45 PM

but you've still got that ole ace in the whole, cbob.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z-XNi2XU2M

God, I don't know how you all suffer my grammer and typos....If Rush and Palin ARE....

Well you all suffer my posts so I guess the typos are the least of the problem.....

Any possibility we could edit comments?

Have a nice day...I think I'll give you all a rest for a while.

"This is now a fight between the insurance companies and the American people." [dr. dean]

tony, know one knows this better than the good doctor.

Don't you just hate it when Dick Morris is correct -- five months before anyone else.. http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/02/hillarys-power-vacuum.html

Posted by: craigcrawford.myopenid.com
*************************************************

CC.......yeah, but..............dick morris?

lol

'Don't you just hate it when Dick Morris is correct -- five months before anyone else.."

Craig,
Don't say that without giving us an opinion.
Do you think it's happening as part of a power play. A way for Obama to make sure Hillary doesn't overshadow him. And I keep wondering how Hillary feels about it. As far as I know, she hasn't said a word.

forgive me for repeating my usual rant and diatribe, but giving money to those villainous unsurance cos is worse than paying protection money to the mob. at least the mob protects you.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244562

Max,

I THINK I understood what you were saying but I'm honestly not sure. You were doing an awful lot of my thinking for me and since it was completely wrong, it was somewhat unrecognizable.

Just to keep it simplistic, I was originally a Hillary backer and yes, Obama did play to the left at least on the Iraq war. He has moderated almost to her identical positions since assuming office. In some respects such as Health Care I deplore this trend because I do firmly believe that a universal single payer system would actually save money and lower costs for business.

As to an obit for the Republican party. Yes if they stay as they are. Politics isn't static. Right now they are catering to a rather wacko fringe. When they start paying attention to average people instead of just trying to scare them, they will start growing again.

"I don't know how you all suffer my grammer and typos"

Yes Max, I have the same problem. Even when I preview, I miss obvious errors (I'm always in a hurry, it's my nature).

But Max, Your posts are excellent. Don't let anyone tell you they're not.

duh, know one = no one

*maniacal dean scream here*

btw, altho absolutely i agree with him on the insurance scam, i still haven't forgiven him for messing with the party rules.

Ping....
the problem as I see it is that at least for now... the lunatic left isn't into arming itself. Maybe this Virginian candidate doesn't own a gun. But her words are inspiring those that do.... and that's a scary thought.

Tony.... I do think Obama deliberately chose to upstage Clinton. And with that I have lost some respect for him. I was beginning to soften on my position of not sending any money to the Democratic Party. But now, they will not see one dime of my hard earned money.
I used to be an Associate donor to The Nation.... which means I gave them at least a $250 yearly donation. When that recently came up for renewal, I found I couldn't do it again. Their Obotness and attacks on Hillary during the past primaries have left a bad taste in my mouth. I still get their magazine and I've noticed they are starting to get upset with Obama. Too late.

"giving money to those villainous unsurance cos is worse than paying protection money to the mob"

Great comparison though, it is the same thing.
The mob could always turn on you at any time too.

Re dick morris (never has someone had a more fitting first name): Old saying, "a blind squirrel finds an acorn every now and then."

Craig,
Yes, that's pretty bad. But, he is still "Dick" Morris.

"(never has someone had a more fitting first name)"

Ha, yes.... let's just call him Dick.

For those not aware of it, Great Britain does not have a "written" Constitution. The "separation of powers" has always overlapped and been based upon tradition and precedent when it came to law.

They just created a Supreme Court for the first time in that history and this is an excellent article about some of the changes that will bring

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106708654&ft=1&f=1001

"Don't say that without giving us an opinion. -- posted by chloe"

one of the oldest rules in the book, chloe -- "friends close, enemies closer"

i just read thru the comments of our February discussion on this.. http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/02/hillarys-power-vacuum.html

haven't changed my mind from what i said then. so many were caught up in hating morris, they couldn't see the validity of his point

but now i'd add, i think that in appointing her SoS Obama was taking her off the political playing field where she and bill could make trouble. however, my guess is that he will move quickly to showcase her somehow and tamp down this grumbling from her camp

"Crabill....assures us that she has "no desire to see this country erupt in any kind of violent revolution. I don't even own a gun."

craig, she didn't mention the bazooka in the backroom.

scary moment in the video when she said "war is inevitable, let it come"

I was upset that I couldn't hear the Clinton speech yesterday even on the C-SPAN channels. Here is the transcript

http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2009a/july/126071.htm

A final thought on the Sotomayor hearings.

Remember those New Haven firefighters that the Republicans wanted to use to undermine Judge
Sotomayor?

Add that attempt to the Republicans' list of failures .

The Republicans invited two of the firefighters to
testify---Frank Ricci & Ben Vargas-- while both
expressed their dissatisfaction with the ruling that
was ultimately reversed by the Supreme Court---
to their immense credit---neither of them expressed any opposition to the confirmation of Judge Sotomayor.

Here is the video on CSPAN

http://www.cspan.org/Watch/Media/2009/07/15/HP/A/20820/Secretary+of+State+Hillary+Clinton+Speech+on+Foreign+Policy.aspx

"a blind squirrel finds an acorn every now and then." -- Posted by: yo soy Horsedooty

ha, dooty, so true so true

"my guess is that he will move quickly to showcase her somehow and tamp down this grumbling about her"

A diplomat above all else, Obama is.
I can't figure out if he's making all the decisions, or is relying 'too much' on what others are telling him.

Horsedooty --

Guitar Camp "verdict" late last night ... hubs had a good time... it was the one Pogo had linked...says it will take 6 months to absorb everything they threw at him...plus two hour workshop with Buddy Guy...the man, the music, and something about polka dots...

(^_~)

chloe, thanks for asking. damage so far seems to be less than deductible or not much over it. probably end up being penalized for submitting a claim even if they don't have to pay me anything.

and yes "The mob could always turn on you at any time too" but one expects that from them. and they don't waste your money by falsely advertising what a good, caring company they are in expensive tv ads.

ivy, here's buddy guy with his polka dots (shirt and guitar)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI5jWut4Zh0

patd

That "inevitable war" is a paraphrase of a line from Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty of give me death" speech. Of course, Patrick Henry would have been right at home with the wacko fringe right. :-)

"Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable--and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come. "

"they don't waste your money by falsely advertising what a good, caring company they are in expensive tv ads."

I agree Patd. False advertising. It's like adding insult to injury.

"Tony, a bad bill can be even worse than the status quo, or do you not believe that possible?"

Max
Yes I believe its possible to get a bad health care bill.I also know what my own mother(insured with Blue Cross) went through during her 4 and half year cancer battle.Frankly I want to start somewhere but an absolute must is a government single payer option.If there are parts of the healthcare bill that don't work well it will just have to be fixed..At this point I want the Democrats to get it done!! I wasn't around during Roosevelt's time but something tells me there were nay sayers against Social Sec. and Medicare....

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244581

Renee
I'm still holding out hope that isn't the case with President Obama.I do think Hillary deserves better and I think he's smarter than to keep dissing her in this manner...Also I won't give the Democrats a dime as long as the Primary process stays the same.I will however give to Dem. candidates directly and Hillary always...

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244587

Craig
Of course your right.I dislike D.Morris so much as I told Max I trust nothing the man says.I do however believe he can be correct at times but I have to form my opinion based on others i read.I trust your opinions you have credibility,D.Morris not so much...

"tony, know one knows this better than the good doctor."

Pat
Agreed! On this issue Howard Dean is spot on! Ha,Craig see i can look beyond my dislike for the good doctor and respect and believe in his opinions...

Hi Chloe..

Tony

It's simple. When he is being Dr. Dean, physician, he knows whereof he speaks. When he is being Dean, pandering politician, ignore anything he says. :-)

Ivygreen,

thanks for the update. Glad "hubs" had a good time. Since "hubs" is into the blues, he might like listening to Whitey Johnson. Whitey's daytime name is Gary Nicholson of Nashville. Buddy Guy has a Gary Nicholson song on his latest album. Gary has had over 350 songs recorded by some very famous people like Buddy and Ringo Starr and Aretha and a lot of the songs that Delbert McClinton sings came from Gary.

show him www.whiteyjohnson.com he might like it.

I must have missed something here. How did Obama diss Clinton?

Tony! HI!
I'm in and out here this morning. I see you're off work today.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244560

Dooty
Maybe you missed the link I posted! Believe it or not..Hillary says its much to do about nothing.Its all over net http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-07-13/obamas-other-wife-1/?cid=hp:beastoriginalsL2
I chose at this point to take a wait and see.What I meant by dissing was the over lapping of Hilliary's speech by the President..Now he has every right to do it but it will cause tongue's to wag...

Craig,
I nominate this for comment of the day

lol
Good one Patd

"The mob could always turn on you at any time too" but one expects that from them. and they don't waste your money by falsely advertising what a good, caring company they are in expensive tv ads"

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244595

Jack

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244607

Hey Chloe
Yes we moved all of are Friday clients to Thursday for the summer.I will at this point have Friday off..Unless of course we get new clients then its all out the window...

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244604

Oh yes Jamie
Were on the same page...

"I think he's smarter than to keep dissing her in this manner"

That's the part I was focusing on this morning, the fact that her duties have been diminished. I could care less what Morris say's. Whether he was right or not, is meaningless to me... anything he says is meaningless to me.

As far as I'm concerned Hillary has followed through on a lot more of her promises than Obama has. And if he trusts her with less than she's capable of, he's hurting us all, not just her.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244605

Horsedoots --

I will be sure to send him the link...thanks!

"As far as I'm concerned Hillary has followed through on a lot more of her promises than Obama has. And if he trusts her with less than she's capable of, he's hurting us all, not just her."

I nominate this as the second comment of the day...Oh chloe your brilliance is showing....

Thanks Tony, but you overestimate me as usual. Knowing that, I appreciate it anyway. (Brilliant is one of the many things I am not)

I nominate Chloe's whole 10:25 post... including the first paragraph.

Jamie.... I agree with your 10:10 post....

hey Tiptoe... I want to thank you for that tip on Sicko playing on TMC last night.
Except for the first 10 minutes.... I rewatched it. And in light of the wimpy healthcare proposal the Democrats are touting at the moment, I think it's even more timely today.

Whoever mentioned Adam Smith (could've been me :) -- today is the 219th anniversary of his death in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Here is his resting place...

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

"one of the oldest rules in the book, chloe -- "friends close, enemies closer"

I didn't think about this much, Craig, until it hit me just now.
It would be bizarre, but I wonder if Obama does still consider Hillary an enemy, and vice versa. In reality, they were simply competitors in the same election, but that competition does tend to turn competitors into enemies. It just seems like they won't accomplish as much, if they don't feel like allies at this point. I sure do hope there are no games being played out.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244618

Ivy, Wow! That Kirk of the Canongate view looks too beautiful to be real (almost fake).

"They do get validation from their insulated world of the like-minded."

Craig, You pointed out the heart of their problem in one sentence. (a trap we all have to work hard at avoiding)

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244618

Ivy,

Here is a close up photo I took while in Scotland as well as the article on Adam Smith

http://jdurward.blogspot.com/2006/06/adam-smith.html

Thank God indeed Rep. Crabill doesn't own a gun.

Meanwhile, does this sound to anybody else what it sounds like to me: exceptionally dirty no matter WHAT end of the political spectrum it happened on?

POLITICO Breaking News:
-----------------------------------------------------

The American Conservative Union asked FedEx for a check for $2M to $3M in return for the group’s endorsement in a bitter legislative dispute, then flipped and sided with UPS after FedEx refused to pay, according to letters provided to POLITICO.

Dirtbags.

Jamie, Another gorgeous picture... and the detail, you can even read it. That cemented in rock side is my favorite type of wall, and you don't see it much here in Texas. In California, it was fairly common, mainly because they actually have a lot of rock there.. Here, it's shipped in.

I remember when I was a kid, walking to school, I used to pass a mission (common in Calif. too) that was completely built in rock (like the picture on your blog) and fell in love with it then. I've never lost that visualization in all these years.

Chloe

It is a beautiful old church. My great, great, great grandfather and his family lived on Canongate and that was their kirk.

The address that was their home is now a nice pub.
Edinburgh is a beautiful city now that its nickname of Auld Reeky is no longer applicable.

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

Morris the Dick, just like any weatherman: Sooner or later, they have to get a stab in the dark right. He predicted so many things wrong about H. C. that his once in a blue moon....correct one is not even worth writing about.

This is.......

.I said at the time....when Netanyahu came to meet Obama.....that the fix was in. After they bomb Iran....he still will not keep his word to evacuate from Palestinian lands. They are going after the Water. that they need for a growing population, and for the greedy farm-political owners. The Litani River and land is their goal......Go West Young Man!

West Offering to Endorse Israeli Attack on Iran as Part of Settlement Deal
Israel Would Recognize Palestinian Land Claims

The Times of London is citing unnamed Western diplomats as saying that the deal between Israel and the West on the issue of Palestinian statehood is taking shape, and that Western officials are offering to back an Israeli attack on Iran in return for certain concessions, including the recognition of some of the Palestinians’ land claims.

Israeli forces have been moving into position to launch such an attack recently, and with the West publicly coming out in favor of a diplomatic rapprochement with Iran it seems incredible to learn that behind the scenes they are offering not only to turn a blind eye to a unilateral Israeli attack on Iran, but to openly endorse it.

Israel has repeatedly threatened to attack Iran, claiming the nation is covertly developing nuclear weapons. Iran denies the charge, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) concedes that there is no evidence that Iran is actually seeking nuclear weapons.

The potential attack on Iran’s civilian nuclear program could create a dramatic anti-US backlash, according to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. He cautioned that this would be the case whether or not the US was responsible for the attack.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:View_from_Scott_Monument.jpg

Wow, It doesn't get any better than that!
It's really great that you can follow your family history back that far. What a feeling of being. :)

"Morris the Dick"

It's about time you got here Solar. I knew you'd be able to say that perfectly. :)

Hi Chlo,

Yes you are brilliant......and your mind in pretty good too!...and brilliant.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244625

Chloe,

Rocks are one thing Edinburgh has in abundance the whole city sits on a lot of granite.

Of course the city you see is built on top of the "old city". There are places where you can go down below the "new city" to see the actual rooms where people lived. Some businesses even use the old buildings below them as storage areas. This has cause some of the "closes" to be very, very steep inclines. Climbing one is only for the young or significantly in shape.

http://jdurward.blogspot.com/2007/04/photo-hunters-steps.html

If you like mysteries, Ian Rankin has written a whole series set in Edinburgh and a major component is often the spookier elements of the old city.

Oh, Chloe,

Do you know what time it is.....It is time for you to take Pogo, and me out to LUNCH!....leave the toys behind, and bring you check book, gonna be expensive, specially if Coreen in going. hahah

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244631

I see you're still being a smart ass. :)

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244633

Wait a minute here, no one said anything about 'me' paying. I thought paying was a 'guy' thing. (what can I say, I'm old fashioned)

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244629

I've got one of my father's lines in Scotland back to the early 1700s. My mother's family is already traced back even farther since she is descended from some of the founders of Maryland and Virginia and branches are pretty well documented in England since most were from well to do or noble families even if they were being shipped to the colonies to get them out from under foot.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244632

My god Jamie, more great pictures. I could learn a lot just going back and reading your blog archives.

I'll check out the Ian Rankin series. Thank you.

What did I say wrong? Im innocent I tell ya!!

Chlo......I don't know?....late on dues; refuse to follow the club rules, not willing to pay due respect to one of the officers. It would ordinarily be The Wet Noodle treatment for you. This is a little more serious than you think. I will try to get you a soft punishment....like painting the club house (in the color that you are given-a-mans color)
or something....like that.

Fair's song for the day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpUDR9akPA8

This is an Original Carter Family (Sara, Maybelle and AP) song, but I'm partial to this Flatt & Scruggs cover. Earl's a pretty good guitarist as well as a great banjo player.

"not willing to pay due respect to one of the officers."

Aha, now I get what this is all about. Sorry Solar, I guess I forgot to tell you. I'm a rule maker, not a rule taker.

Jamie,

Thanks for those links--beautiful!....there should be a rule that we can't mention D, Morris, and Peggy N. on the same thread.....feels too slimy to me.....very nice pics.

How about 'I' pick the color and you do the painting.

Carramba......You got me...ok U can buy at a cheap joint. We will just have to keep Coreen quite in the back seat....when we go thru the drive thru.........the classy Texan way it is HA!

".the classy Texan way it is"

Well, I'm glad we got that straightened out. And I'm sure Coreen will have a few things to say about this too.

I've been talking too much... again.
Have a good day everyone.

I thought that Obama, was anti war....thats how he got into office.

Here is a scary thought.......If Obama wants to go to war anywhere he wants to......he will have the support of the Liberals as well as the right....so there will never be an end to war as long as he is in office??? will we get more OBL's?....

Tony,

About H. C. Could it be that she isn't being kept quite, but is quietly doing what Obama wants, and is laying out the preperations for war against Iran. She did use very strong language....in her speech to council of foreign relations, or something like that, recently.

She said something like, that we would defend our allies ( Israel) and our people, cos they had to give up the nuclear weapons. Then all of this movement by the Neo-con-s of questions no?
If she is getting the shaft from someone.....probably Axelrod?

Solar, I would caution you about what Gates says. He used papers from the DOD to diss more Raptors and now those papers are under attack.

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/defense/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3a30c7ba81-8137-4bef-be42-6af94f4dd783

Media doesn't report this the vote on Raptors have been put off. Despite the rather anti-ABM stance by Obama, the technology coming out is rather amazing.

http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,194974,00.html

And last Solar, please remember that the Democrats made such a righteous fight over those bomb proof soldier transport. The DOD AND Republicans protested the amount of the program, questioning whether the design was good enough and whether they were really the strategic answer. Now we find out Republicans were right. MRAPs don't work well in Afghanistan as critics argued. They were blasted for putting our soldiers at risk in a Liberal counter to Republican claims. Will Reid and Pelosi say they are sorry and add up the wsted costs? Here is an article discussing this many months ago:

http://www.defensetech.org/archives/004522.html

Jamie, I understand your point and I am no friend of what the Republicans have been doing internally. If they fear the direction OBama is going in, then why the frack are they eating the very people that can offer them some second wind? Beats me. Forgive me when I generalize your comments into something more than you intended. As far as Hillary, I stand by the logic I posted during the campaign and much of what I project here is ideologically consistent with much I think she still stands for. If Democrats do not want to debate sound policy and spin everything in a partisan way, history will come back and bite their ass.

Tony, I feel for you. I understand the healthcare problems, but the CBO and others find serious problems and with a trillion dollar interest payment coming our way every year, the totality of unvetted and poorly designed will compound the fiscal crisis. Obama does not have to do this. Where is his political opposition? In the toilet as you all claim? Then why once again the rush into bullshit? Sebeilus makes me even more afraid. My anger is not just that Hillary's strong line on foreign policy is marginalized, but that she was forced out of Congress where she would be pushing for more realistic and bipartisan approaches. Team Obama didn't want her there teaming up with Blue Dogs and I wonder if Dooty sleeps alot.

Thank you Chloe. I know Morris sends shivers up most Liberals spines. He isn't stupid however and his comments about Hillary are correct. His comments about Healthcare will eventually resonate and Democrats ignore them at their own eventual peril. Doesn't Green Day have a song about know your enemy? Perhaps we should take the oppositon more seriously because everything cycles, everything.

Totten has an interesting article today about the end of certainty. I don't think the message has sunk into to many Liberals. Kaplan and Fallows and even others have admitted their projections were wrong about foreign policy. Remember Richard Clarke's Atalantic article on the hobbling of America to come? Now some of these Liberal pundits have reconsidered their talking points in the face of ground realities. Wouldn't that be great if Pelosi and Reid did as well? Illya Progogine long ago heralded the end of certainty and perhaps he was right.

http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/2009/07/arguing-for-unc.php

I have got to run and I can't tell you what posting here costs me in dollars loss at work...LOL

Still, a brain dead mind is a bigger loss to me and I thank you all for the courtesy you have shown tolerating my long posts and off hand rants. Bob, Sturg, Patsi, Patd, Criag, Chloe, Joe, Tony, Warren, Solar, Craig, Dark Lord, Flatus, Bethy, Annmolly, and all the others I didn't mention are pretty bright people. That includes you XRepublican. Please don't take anything said here as a personal attack. Given the state of the GOP, the debate among ourselves is the only game in town at the moment. Remember, Republicans eat their dissenters. We do better than that.

Yep, nuttier than a fruitcake, all right. From her website:

"...America was founded by right-wing extremists..."

http://www.catherinecrabill.com/catherine_crabill_for_del/2009/05/my-entry.html

I could see her point if she was drawing parallels between right wing extremists and the founding fathers via things like the belief in the supremacy of the white race, the idea that God "gave" America to the white race to colonize (Manifest Destiny), in allowing rights for a select group only, in the legalization of slavery, and so on, but I highly doubt she's that smart (or understands the meaning of the word "irony"), seeing as how the founding fathers were also against giving women any kind of political voice. Sweet tropical Jesus.

Figures I misspelled YOUR name Craig.......ironic yes?

Julia

She has every right to her own beliefs but not her own history. I gave her Patrick Henry, but that is about the only one from the founders who fell off the deep end of right side of the spectrum when it comes to the gun toting, states rights, white power, religious wing. He also had two wives and 17 children so probably could have done the family values photo as well.

Max,

Even Bush told Netanyahu ...NO...to bombing Iran.

What is AIPAC up to? nothing in the news lately about them....that's trouble imo.....They are probably talking to Washington critters about letting Israel fly thru Iraqi air space, in order to hit Iran.

So if that happens ......that means that we gave them the ok...

Jamie,
What are some of the Maryland names on your mother's side?

CJ

Howard, McCubbins, Cloud, Tydings, Belt

All of the usual suspects

KT, a musician I know pretty well (hometown boy Brad Davis) goes out on the road sometimes with Earl Scruggs. He has had play a tune or two on his own CD's also. He told me once that he was over at Earls house before his wife died a couple of years ago. They live in a 3 story house. Earl has never been on the 2nd or 3rd floors of the house. He told Brad that everything he needed was on the first floor and there was no need to go up there.

max, if Hillary is preparing to go to war with Iran, then for sure we can't afford health care. I know how big a hard on it gives you to think of a scenario like that, but as someone who has actually worn the US uniform I hope and pray that not another life is put in harms way.

Holy Cow! Tiger Woods is below the projected cut for the British Open. He needs to make up at least two strokes before the end of play today

http://scoring.opengolf.com/leaderboard.sps?iTourNo=2009055&optsel=pos&iTourId=7

Hey Dooty, if you want to see some of my prescriptions for resolving conflict and where I stand against the extreme Right, just go look at this battle.

http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/2009/07/arguing-for-unc.php

Perhaps you should battle the real enemies, instead of me. What, did you feel excluded from my last post?

Now if you want to debate something on an adult level, great.

Off to see Harry Potter

Quidditch Anyone?

Oh Solar,

Back seat! Quiet! Not in this lifetime!

I'm pretty much used to being in the driver's seat...

And no cheap drive-thrus either!
But---I have no problem with paying for our lunch.

And if Chloe wants she gets to ride shotgun.

Jamie, I didn't mean to leave you off that list of mine....but then I think you knew that.

Jamie,
Winchester, Bowling, Harrison, Hooper, McQueen, Stuart, MacIlhenny, Pope

Posted by: yo soy Horsedooty! | July 17, 2009 1:38 PM

A very hillbilly thing to do, Horse--have had neighbors like Earl, shut off portions of the house and never go in them--:)

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244662

Im buying: Im the one in the back seat, and It looks like im the one that will keep quiet. Man- all the women here at TM are not going to be easy for the He-man club to handle....mmmmm maybe we better just get along with you gals.........mmmmmmmm....nope what fun would that be. Ok you gals get a champagne lunch,,,without the champagne. will Ripple do? no don't answer that im in the dog house now as it is. Just don't tell Chloe....shes a little pushy that one....she is

Max, listen to the people that really know about Iran.!!

Ephraim Kam, deputy director of the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv
and a specialist on the Iran issue,

in his own view say's....that the the scenario Netanyahu proposes - that Iran is led by irrational fanatics who would nuke Israel at the first chance, even knowing that an Israeli nuclear counterstrike would be swift and catastrophic - is false.

"Iran is a pragmatic, logical player," Kam says. He remains convinced that "even a radical fundamentalist regime" wouldn't attack Israel, but he adds, "This is just my assessment, and assessments can go wrong. I wrote a study on wrong assessments, so I know something about this."

In other words, if Kam's claims about the Israeli consensus are correct, the country's leadership takes it for granted that Iran is indeed hell-bent on producing a nuclear weapon and is not inclined to take a chance that a nuclear Iran will play by the MAD (as in mutually assured destruction) rules hammered out by the two Cold War superpowers decades ago and never use it.

This attitude reflects a longstanding Israeli strategic principle: that no neighboring state or combination of states can ever be allowed to achieve anything faintly approaching military parity, because if they do, they will try to destroy the Jewish state. By this logic, Israel's only option is to establish and then maintain absolute military superiority over its neighbors; they will, so this view goes, accept Israel's presence only if they know they're sure to be defeated, or at least vastly outmatched.

This is the famous "iron wall" conceived by early Zionist leader Vladimir Jabotinsky more than 80 years ago, well before the founding of Israel itself. (Jabotinsky founded the Revisionist movement, which in opposition to the Labor mainstream refused to accept any territorial compromise regarding Zionist aims, such as partition. Although he and his followers were for years shut out of the political leadership, their views regarding Israel's neighbors became deeply lodged in the public psyche.)

Any US rapprochement with Iran - especially if carried out on terms that acknowledge Iran's status as a regional power - could, they fear, undermine Israel's "special relationship" with Washington. As Iran analyst Trita Parsi put it in a recent piece in the Huffington Post, Iran would then "gain strategic significance in the Middle East at the expense of Israel".

This is what Im hoping for!!

It's within the realm of possibility, for example, that Washington could work out a grand bargain with Tehran terminating its policy of regime change and ending sanctions in return for Tehran's vow never to weaponize its nuclear program. Intrusive international inspections would presumably guarantee such a bargain, but Tehran's national pride would remain intact, as it would be allowed to retain the right to enrich uranium and develop a peaceful nuclear infrastructure.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244649

Solar
I just can't believe the President would go to war with Iran considering all the wars we already have going on.I do think however Hillary is correct they will defend Israel...I agree with you Axerod would be the main culprit..I still don't like to watch him on any of the Sunday news shows...

"As Iran analyst Trita Parsi put it in a recent piece in the Huffington Post, Iran would then "gain strategic significance in the Middle East at the expense of Israel".

This is what Im hoping for!!

It's within the realm of possibility, for example, that Washington could work out a grand bargain with Tehran terminating its policy of regime change and ending sanctions in return for Tehran's vow never to weaponize its nuclear program."

Tehran vows never to weaponize its nuclear program? Iran vows to end support for terror proxies like Hizb'Allah who today stormed an Israeli outpost and put up a flag? Iran vows to end support for Hamas' terror tactics including working with AQ? Iran vows to allow its people fair and honest elections and releases prisoners that the former Iranian President said today MUST be released? That Iran opens itself up to South African style inspections and ends support of anti-Western forces in Iraq and Afghanistan?

If Iran did that it would be decreasing the hegemony it has already and reject the entire basis of principles the regime is murdering its citizens over. Of course this happening with the verification and implementation you suggest is about as real a possibility as the Mets winning the World Series this year. Well, actually even less of a chance.

The fear is that like most of the President’s promises regarding transparency, taxes, bipartanism, he will fashion a mock Grand Bargain leading to Israel's worst fears. Of course Solar, if you had any basis for your optimism, we would see some progress on any of the fronts I have mentioned. Instead the top nuclear negotiator for Iran resigns, reformists increase their attacks, Hizb'Allah issues new threats and demands, Hamas rejects partnership with Fatah and Iran's nuclear programs continues full throttle. You do not seem to distinguish between reality-based strategies and wishful thinking. You cherry pick strange remarks to promote unrealistic dreams that contradict ground realities and the history of behavior as we know it. Obama's tactics towards Iran have not produced anything and are not likely to produce anything if as FA says Iran thinks our President is desperate to come up with some results even if they are dubious at heart. There are many ways we can influence the situation short of bombs, but without a more realistic mindset, we are sure to have little affect. The regime in Iran are liars and you present no basis that verification could ever be achieved. In fact people on the Left who reject military force often site the fact there are so many secret facilities we would not be able to strike them all.

Contrary to your thinking Israel is not in a very good retaliatory position were Iran to have nukes, As we speak Iran is rushing to build a propellant based strike force that can overwhelm Israeli defenses. The Sunnis are beginning to recognize this and hardly support your Grand Bargain, something your theories leave out. I understand why such comments appear at Huffington. I also note that Obama’s advisors ejected the notion of General Odum’s Grand Bargain while running against Hillary. The American people would not buy such promises, nor has anything Iran done since 1979 lad us to believe the regime could be trusted.

they're baaack

"New Harry and Louise Spot"

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/harry-and-louise-return-with-a-new-message/

Maxtrue- don't toss all the Hillary people here in as kool-aid drinkers. I haven't had a drop People around here know how I feel, no sense in going on about it all. So how's the weather?

Max,

It saddens me to say this.....but I do think that Israel will get their war. All I have is wishful thinking as you say. I refuse to root for more, and more soldiers to get killed.

Let me ask you something: Do think that war is innate in the human species?.....a yes or a no please.

Max,
There is a new book out now about the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty, entitled, appropriately enough "Attack on the Liberty.". I was wondering if you have seen the review, read the book, or have a p.o.v. on the incident.

No. This a way we can avoid the bloodshed :

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/13/iran-uprising-blogging_n_230402.html

As Klatu tells humans, it is only at the edge do we change.

There is much we can do Solar and avoid war. I do not like war. I have never fought in a war. I don't want to see my friends fight in a war. Without enforcement of some essential red lines, cooperation fails and we are all at risk.

For the record I don't particularly like Netanyahu. I hold him partly responsible for the murder of Rabin. I don't like the influence of the far religious right in Israel. If we apply the pressure, maybe we can get the Mullahs to crack. I would be willing to give another leadership a chance. I am even hopeful war can be avoided as I think the appointment by Ahmadinejad of his new VP represents some real blinking. But, I have to say this to him: fuck you.

I hope I don't sound like a war monger in my effort to get my point acress. As Dark Lord says, I'm loud.

And last, I empathize with your feelings. I really do. Deep down inside, I think we want the same things. Life is so short, it is sad it is filled with such mindless confrontation.

No, we are not doomed to kill each other. The altruism it provokes will eventually be our cure whether we live to see that day or not.

Joe, I haven't read it though I have read a number of articles on the incident. It seems the Israelis didn't trust the communication security of the USS Liberty from being picked up by the Soviets. One must understand that America was not how Israel first survived. I believe that nukes were in play in a very deadly game.....

I meant Solar: No........

Sorry oldseahag, point duly noted. weather looks like rain........

I have been talking about the synergy( Pat-thanks for this word) of the world...the universe, and that we all make up the parts that are the one...we are the one. We are all bits of Gods.

Good and evil are in all of us. The norms that govern our social, and personal conduct should be shaped by a deeper knowledge of humanity, one that makes contact with the God or nature within ourselves....which is all the same to me. We are IT.

Max,

How the Israel's got their first weapon of mass destruction.... was by doing the Frenches dirty work for them....and starting a war for them. The French said. Hey we owe them the Bomb. I told you about it before it think.

But back to my question.....no the thirst for blood-war is not innate in us.......as a matter of fact.....the reasons for my hopes are that there is a decline in violence all over the world. There are less and less people at war. Guess which are the ones that are almost alwya's at war?

Anthropology has given us information that shows that there has always' been violence, even in the hominids. Mainly it was due to some good looking chicha homonidas....just the regular male to male courting for the better gene.

When we started to do the business of agriculture-farming, it all went down hill from there. That along with new metals, new material things, there was more, and more to lose, and more and more to defend. The GREEDY wants it all for them selves imo.

I disagree, there is MORE conflict and certainly more oppression than in the final days of the Cold War, but that is understandable. Most experts predicted the doors would open and all the repressed anger of regional conflict would spring out and it has. Look at what the Independence of kaistan created. We are fighting that in Afghanistan. Unfair to say we are the culprit because we have been thrust in defending the West and human rights. I don't care to picture the world without our continued sacrifice. We would be speaking German or Russian. Maybe even Chinese.

Violence IS innate but it is not inevitable. The capacity of our brains is enormous forgetting the recent hearing of Sotomayor or the daily broadcasts of Rush. Seems like a contradiction, but not really. We got here by beating back all that threatened us. Mother Nature is not a peaceful character.

As far as the bomb, yes Israel played the game with France, but don't make Israel the cause the Brits, French and Israelis took the Suez. Without those folks Israel would never had made it.

Sorry to all the new posters. I use to talk a lot about this before.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244683

Max,
I agreed with your last post. Good job!

The problem is that science today shows that the degree of cooperation is proportional to the degree we enforce rules among non-related kin. The larger the group the harder to enforce the rules. Nature hasn't tried this before and there is resistance on the part of individuals and individual kin to resist punishment which puts them at a disadvantage despite the good of the many. We are working with factors that seem counterintuitive when realted to general Darwinian theory.

I understand why we are where we are. We must increase peaceful means to enforce the rules. But as Joe says, there is presently a terrible lack of international justice. That is why Free Markets don't work magically by themselves. If we can't stop pirates, I rather doubt the world in general will enforce rules on the environment, proliferation etc. Nature Mag many years ao suggested we shold form regional alliances and work from there towards a global fix. Hillary suggested a MIddle East alliance that would bring countries together. Perhaps we need a few more decades of vetting the steam the Cold War contained.

Or maybe Klatu was right. We need to step out on the edge again before we come to the next level of human organization.

Thanks Joe, some days I am more coherent. It is tough blending idealism with realism. It often comes out incoherently.

Max.

There have been at least a hundred give or take peoples that are not war like at all. The Aborigine

We create more havoc around the world than the history books don't tell. We-the CIA gave the stringer missals to the Taliban,,,and showed them how to use them,,,,the CIA ....on horse back....strike that- on mule back gave the Egyptians the AK-747 rounds to give the Taliban to fight the Russians, along with tanks etc. etc. we trained them,,,we created the gap in leadership that the Taliban filled in ..lots of history that we don't acknowledge, I hate to say this sometime I feel ---that 9/11 was mostly our own fault.....now go ahead and give to me.

Well I spent all day in a war funk cloud,, excepet the fun lunch stuff. so Im through for a while.

here have been relatively few international wars since the second world war, and no wars between developed nations. Most conflicts now consist of guerilla wars, insurgencies and terrorism - "remnants of war". democracies rarely, if ever, vote to wage war against each other, the decline of warfare over the past 50 years, at least in part, to a surge in the number of democracies around the world - from 20 to almost 100. "A continuing decline in war seems to be an entirely reasonable prospect.

Max,
Hang in there, bud. My guess is that most of the people here disagree with much of what you say, but not many, if any, disagree with everything you say. And I think a lot of us respect your point of view (if not always the blogs you cite as authoritative references.)

Anyway, I am glad you hang out here.

CJ

I believe--- that I remember a while back taping a program that said that all of the people that died in modern warfare was around 3% of the peoples population. From all of the wars....one, two, and modern conflicts.

There were more people that died thru the art of war....when they only had spear, arrows, swords. think about it. There is-has been a decline in the deaths due to wars....and wars them selves imo.

There has been a decline in deaths of wars-due to how they were fought that is.........In the past the death count---could not be established accurately ,,,there were so many. We have a one by one count on the tv today. War....world conflict is down...but we just don't see it cos we are in them all of the time.

Solar, I hope you come of the funk. I suggest that like myself, sometimes the multitude of crap cnspires to beset one with depression. I won't argue with you anymore today. If I was in your neighbor, I'd buy you a drink. Take it easy tonight. I bet that six months from now, no matter who's killing who, you will feel a bit more inspired. I have no desire to add to your stress or woes and I mean that as a fellow Trial mix poster.

Be happy.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244673

They may be talking health care but sponsored by the Pharmacies. The same wonderful folks that brought you the donut hole in medicare drugs.

max

you add to my stress and woes! Just kidding. If I did not enjoy your posts - I would not read or respond to them.

And the funk is a tough one. Cause there is no one way to beat it. And then one day you just find yourself out of it - and happy it is in the past.

The Vikings killed over 20K Roman soldiers in just one battle, that lasted about 2 day's .My favorite bad guy....G. Khan....how many people do you think died from just one of his battles? Now all bets are off....if just one of your nuclear bombs go boom. But all in all there are a lot less wars, and people dying. Thanks Max.

Now Im done.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244688

Max,

You put too many rats in a cage and they start to eat each other. Small towns tend to be more peaceful simply because you know the bad guys and it is easier to enforce the community ethos.

Champ,

Thanks again. That felt a lot less draining then when in the days of Brian. I sort of enjoy being able to do this a lot better than before.

Joe, I do post links to Jihad watch. If you go to Totten you can see a war we waged with Spencer over the last twenty four hours and he has finally retracted a nasty post he ran on Michael. A small victory.

Clearly, I do not buy into ideology when linking sources. I post links to counterterrorism.org. That is a respectful site with numerous experts. They were strongly against our invasion of Iraq and their crew often goes before Congress. Slate is not a Right Wing blog nor is New Republic. WSJ editorial section leans center/left. Totten himself is center/left. I can't be repsonsible as to what people get wrong.

Debka is a particular problem. Although it is an Israeli blog with military and Intel experts, you have to admit they print stories nobody else reports. They predict things well before others though Jamie is right, that they write their english translations poorly. There are some conservative links I have posted, but the subject matter speaks for itself.

Just today I linked Huffington and WaPo. Last, Defense Tech is a centrist blog no matter their relationship to the DOD. For instance, they printed a story which if right shows the DOD falsified some objections about the Raptor in order to get it axed because right now, many miitary experts want to stop the program. The DOD like EVERYTHING else has warring sides.

I think in general, my links are not conservative or Right Wing. I know my approach often is combative, but for the reaons you state. Sometimes I feel like I am the only centrist Liberal here fighting a lonely fight for principles I believe Bill and Hillary stood for. I remember Lardie and while we parted company over who should be president, we often agreed.

I will try and go on because the essential debate now is between Liberals. The GOP needs some serious medical help. The internal debate within the Democratic Party given the impotency of Republicans has exceeded my expectations and Craig often inspires me. I just don't have his homey delivery that disarms.

But thanks for the encouragement. This is the small amount I try to do to make me feel like I'm DOING somehing. My girlfriend thinks I'm nuts. My accountant thinks I'm nuts and half of the people here thinks I'm nuts. Then why do I feel okay with that? Because somehow this clarifies issues for myself in a time when I think people are drifiting from principle and realism about themselves, the future and our ability to change the world.

Anyway, time for dinner. It has been an interesting day. Next week is massive work........

take care.

I just remembered on last thing for now....thinking of C Bob and the blue Hopi Corn.

War is not so hard-wired as you might say in us. The Hopi Indian embraced peace. They were very war like.

Peace, Max. And have a nice dinner.

Even rats in a cage Jamie enforce their rules.

You too Joe. And Jamie, Warren, Solar (feel better bud).

Oh, and you're right Solar -major conflict has declined. I think that is because the major powers see war as instability which threatens their control, but lesser powers see conflict as opportunity. Over all, violence has increase -don't forget Rwanda, Sudan,The Taliban, Saddam, the Mullahs slaughtering more than 10,000 and even what happened in Cambodia.

Shit, and I was trying NOT to add to the funk.....my bad

Good nite.

Max...not a problem.....I said that I was in a war funk...as in I don't feel good about them....Me personally....Im one of the most optimistic people that I know......at least that's what the captain in my head tells me...and the cpt in his head,,and etc. etc. hard to make us all unhappy.

Now we have all "Lost Uncle Walter"

Walter Cronkite has died at the age of 92.

Here is the Wiki

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

Solar

We are in a critical time. As there are two competing forces at work re: war.

One the one hand - with technology and the advance of civilization - we are decreasing many of the old causes for war.

Nations are - for the most part - not out engaging in constant battles in an effort to rape and pillage the resources of other nations. Now many of those battles are confined to the board room.

And with the spread of information - many other causes for war - such as miscommunication and fear - are also decreasing.

Also - world leaders cannot get away with some of the atrocities they could in the past due to the media and outside pressure.

Conversely, we are developing more and more powerful weapons. Weapons that in the wrong hands can turn the statistics you were talking about on their head.

And these weapons of war are also becoming more easily to use by non-state actors - who are much more unpredictable as compared to hostile nations.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244667 "Im buying: Im the one in the back seat, and It looks like im the one that will keep quiet"

I laughed so hard when I read that post Solar.
...............

"When asked yesterday about allegedly being sidelined by the White House, Secretary Clinton put the issue to rest, responding wittily: "I broke my elbow, not my larynx," she said, referring to the fractured elbow that kept her out of the limelight for a month.

Speaking with reporters at the State Department after meetings with the foreign ministers of Canada and Mexico [in above photo], Clinton delivered the line with a straight face, seeming miffed at widespread speculation that she has lost influence in the Obama administration."

"I have been consistently involved in the shaping and implementation of our foreign policy and I am off to India and Thailand tonight," Clinton said stonily." http://hillary.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/07/17/clinton_i_broke_my_elbow_not_my_larynx

Exclusive: Clinton rebuts talk of diminished role http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/07/16/exclusive_clinton_rebuts_talk_of_diminished_role

I am really sorry to hear about Walter Cronkite.

The number of people who have died in wars over the millenia has much to do with the ways war was fought and the weapons used, yes, but I suspect that number has been influenced even more by the medical help available, medicines, and medical personnel. One of the biggest drives in WWII was to figure out how to make penicillion in huge quantities. Patsi, I think it's fascinating that your father's pneumonia was healed by penicillin. I wonder if he could have got it when the war was on.

I have my classical station on, and had to pause to listen to O Fortuna from Carmina Burana. that always stops me in my tracks.

I wonder if it is safe to admit that I love Gregorian chants. My sisters hate them, but they are bliss for me.
Added to that is the existence of Hildegarde van Bingham as one of the top composers.

Can't say that I have much respect for Obama as he has given me little reason to. I respect his rights as I respect anyone's, and he seems to have helped create a good family, but whether he is a liar and conniver, I have no idea. I wonder how long we'll have to wait to find out. If Sotomayor turns out to be rpo-life, then my waiting is done. Barring that, I'm just waiting.

By the way, that funny question re why one would be in a police car, a very good Christian friend of mine answered back that I'd be there for prostitution. She reminded me that in high school I used to say that if I never married, I'd become a prostitute to be sure I got some sex! I had completely forgotten that, but now I remember. Talk about young and dumb! I was so naive I didn't know how easy it was! (I was also trying to shock and amuse them.)

Walter Cronkite was a giant. A true broadcast journalist, not a pretty-boy news reader. There is no one like him on the air today. Of course, the network news programs are a joke compared to the news broadcasts of the sixties.

Jamie,

Now I am saddened. W. Cronkite was one of my very favorites. A hero. He aired a special on Nova. About reincarnation: I will be looking out for him.

I forgot.............."And that's the way it was" W. Cronkite.

Success!

"I sort of enjoy being able to do this a lot better than before."

Posted by: SolarCrete Author Profile Page | July 17, 2009 7:44 PM

Now get even better! Crush all opponents!

Champ, Glad to see you made it back. I want to apologize for being rude to you before you left. (Just ask Solar, I get a little pushy sometimes - hell, just ask anyone)

"(I was also trying to shock and amuse them.)"

Bethy, Loved that little story you told us.

Anything to make you laugh, any....litttle ole thing. Even my self respect.

Champ,

Not out to crush anyone. Or to have opponents, it was just fun being able to discuss it without all the,,,,,,,,,and the stress, of not being understood,,,,,,,understand :-))) That last one was for Warren,,,,with whom I agree with his last post above.

Watch out for that Chloe ---she is a gang leader now......and pushyyyyyyy....whew!

That's something I wouldn't want to rob you of, your self respect. But I did appreciate the laugh.

Well, Chloe, I have to admit that I was shocked to see her answer, especially since she is so religious, but then she explained.

I will always remember Cronkite's not saying a word but just standing up with Bill Clinton over the lewinski thing. He hosted them and went around with them. He was the personification of 'gravitas' and everyone felt it.

Now Mutter is plaing the Caren Fantasy by Sarasati - this is why music is end of all endeavor. The genius of writing Carmen, the genius of putting this piece together, and the genius of playing it - it will never stop.
Music gives birth to genius forever. Bizet, Sarasati,
Perlman,Mutter ...ad infinitum.

Renee, If Rick liked St Louis, I guess he got down in to central west end around Wash U and the hospitals and restaurants. A lot of people never find that area.

Carol, If you're around, just want to let you know we miss you. Hope you'll spend some time here this weekend.

Okay - if anybody is into this stuff, I have to say that I much prefer Perlman version of Carmen Fantasy to Mutter!

Carol, I agree with Chloe - where are you?

Oh, and if u r laughing, having fun, that makes me happy.

Posted by: SolarCrete Author Profile Page | July 17, 2009 9:10 PM

I said, "CRUSH THEM!" AAAAUUUUUGGGHHHH!

Okay, fine. How about I knock 'em down, and you sweep 'em up?

Oh, and chloe, you weren't rude at all. Do your thing, I'm adaptable.

...and onward!

.... me too.

"I'm adaptable."

I knew that.

Hey, chloe, link some Marley for me.

"Satisfy My Soul". Thanks. 'Nite.

Bob Marley - Satisfy My Soul
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPo1mxFYlY8

So sorry to see Walter go. A journalist that was the most trusted man in America. Imagine that nowadays. No offense please Craig- I trust you more than the whole lot of them.
I was fortunate to meet him. Was working at his house on 9-11. He was in Germany and the phone was ringing off the wall. I don't know how he got back- guess the Gov. flew him back- he was on the tele the next night and I remember what a comfort it was to hear him.
Everyone loved him here. He was guest conductor for the Boston Pops. The crowd cheered with adoration ,everyone was so happy that lovely summer night
He was the honorary President of Sail Martha's Vineyard, a wonderful program to teach islanders to sail. He has a beautiful sailboat and It was ALWAYS a thrill to see him at the wheel.

Tony,

I didn't mean to ignore you. I really like the way that you show independent thinking. no matter who is on the other end.....as you can see, I have been doing quite a lot of talking again....so Im going to shove off for a cpl of days again. Thanks pal.

Great memories, OSH -- thanks for sharing that!

Glad to see your spirit up Solar. And by the way, I didn't mean to suggest more people have died in the last sixty years from conflict that from WW2 and backwards, just that violence has become more ubiquitous. Bethy points out something. So many died in WW2 due to the flu. In fat, our boys accidently introduced a kind of swine flu into the final defensive ring of the Germasn and the sickness that followed lead to their surrender. So many died.

I was startled to learn how many Hindus died at the hands of the militants Pakistan created as they contemplated their weaker forces standing down the Indians.

So sad to see Walter gone. He had the balls to say his stance on national TV was his personal opinion and not the view of his network. True professionalism. He was a great one for sure.

I just had a lenghty fight with an underling of the anti-jihadist group over at Tottne. I have to confess. I had no idea how extreme these guys are. I mean Geller is rabid. Their solution to the Kashmir conflict: kill or convert all MUlsims living in the region. No wonder they have formed alliances with the neo-Nazis. Now this doesn't change my view of the radical threat, but I understand where some of your kneww jerk reaction comes from. Even though Totten and myself explained how many millions of Muslims live in poeace with the West, there is no changing these people. I suspect many ARE fundies. I had a battle over homosexuals. Why do they talk about Islamic homphobia and not address there own? Why do they stress Islamic literalism and not address there own?

Anyway, I do understand the sickness on the right. It doesn't mean what I am saying is not valid, but on understand how tempermental you are when spotting something you think sounds like right wingerism.

Just thought I'd stop in and say that. As I told this smuck, contrary to what Franklin said, there are some people I would rather not hang with. I don't think he got it. Too busy quoting passages from the Koran.

night yall.

Naw Solar, you don't talk to much. Its theraputic anyway. Take it from a pro......

Christ! WW1 that is, not WW2 in reference to the flu

Shattered http://www.mtv.com/videos/oar/254581/shattered.jhtml

I'm back guys and pooped. I've been testing out my new wharf most of the day. I took the day off. Maggie and I fished this morning and this evening and shopped at Walmart in between.

I caught lots of little stuff but also two nice catfish, one got away from me when I tried to put him in the basket and the other I managed to hold on to.

I also caught 6 keeper size blue gill. We had a blast. I haven't yet figured out how to keep up with this blog and fish at the same time. My hands are too full of worm dirt.

My guys finished the wharf Thursday and I decided Friday to add a little kayak wharf on one side. A wharf for the orthopedically challenged. The guys charged me a good bit less than I expected. That's a first.

The addition is a wharf close to the water where I can just shove my ass off the wharf into the kayak. I designed it and my guys built it today. Now I'm thinking about a fish cleaning table with a sink to add. I may have the whole river wharfed up before it is over.

I just heard that Cronkite died. They don't make them like that anymore.

Chloe I see that you made a motion to write the rules for the club. I second your motion. All in favor say aye..
.
Don't run off for a couple of days again Solar. You don't talk too much. If you get too winded with your posts I just nap thru the last half like I do with others who write descertations here. Remember, I'm a little ADD.

Pic of my new wharf:

http://i656.photobucket.com/albums/uu286/cithorn/100_0307.jpg

Pic of kayak wharf:

http://i656.photobucket.com/albums/uu286/cithorn/100_0308.jpg

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244739

Max,

Recent news came out that anyone who had the Spanish Influenza - there are still some alive - carry immunities to the new H1 N1 which has genetic similarities. If the new bug morphs into a more dangerous form by the winter flu season, it could get ugly. So far, the majority of the people who get it recover. There have been very few deaths, but it does invade deep into the lungs, so if it goes bad ......

"Tony, I feel for you. I understand the healthcare problems, but the CBO and others find serious problems and with a trillion dollar interest payment coming our way every year, the totality of unvetted and poorly designed will compound the fiscal crisis."

Max
I think we do need to create a single payer government option for all to be required to have healthcare.We are all paying for the uninsured and immigrants anyways.Lets take there primary care out of emergency rooms where it is so costly.I think Jamie has the right idea,lets open up medicare for all.I believe the average SS recipient pays $90 a month,sounds like a place to start....I understand the concerns of the CBO but are they figuring the savings from healthcare reform?

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244737

Hi Solarman
No worries.I've been enjoying your banter back and forth with everyone.You and Max are 2 BRILLIANT guys ,so full of facts and info.I do have a mind of my own,I think its all those years spent on the assembly line fighting for my rights..I remember when I became able to speak my mind.I was 20 doing the toe in job in the pit.This particular job came after they would drive the truck on road tester machine for a test drive..It would pull up over my whole in the floor and I would set the front tie rods and tighten the clamps.Sometimes though someone up the line would forget to tighten a coolant line and it would burst all over and sometimes burn me.I was told by my supervisor and the union not to do those jobs.My supervisor was off and his fill in came down and asked me why I didn't do a job and I told him it was leaking coolant and he told me that I was going to do that job if he had to get me a Fucking raincoat!! I had never been spoken to like that before and you could not refuse a direct order unfortunately for him the lunch bell rang and I had the wisdom to get my coat and head for the time clock..Next day he tried to have me written up and i promptly told him to go for it and while he was at it he better get someone else to do those leaky jobs.I also told him to get the union and safety man because I would be filing a complaint against him for safety violations.It ended right there no more problems because I spoke up for myself...

Carol
Nice photo's,nice place...

Champ
Glad your back.

http://noblesseoblige.org/wordpress/2009/07/03/comparative-health-care-ma-vs-ga/

Tony a funny clip on Obama's health plan. I'm not that brilliant buddy.

Jamie, a real danger for sure. I had some worries about the flue season this fall, but then there are many worries, yes?

That flu in 1918 was a doozy, but strangely enough helped us to win the war.

social security administration motivational conference
held at a phoenix Arizona resort' cost 700k ''
your hard earned tax dollars at work folks
i guess they can say they were trying to stimulate the
economy'' since obama's plan hasn't worked out

Solar, My voice is added to the others saying you don't talk too much. I get going occasionally but I figure I should be forgiven cuz I don't post that often usually.
(At least I don't think I do.)

Why don't we just go for brunch? It can include some foods you don't think of for lunch - and then, of course, the required beverage of brunch is the mimosa.

Carol, You are really a piece of work. You design wharves and get them built, you fish and actually CLEAN the damn things, you hang out with Maggie, and you work in an environment that would terrify most of the people in the country - and you've been trhu all sorts of medical training that included BLOOD and POOP. You even had a guy fart in your face. Your only flaw is that you don't appreciate yourself!

how about we get real about energy independence''
everything on the table'' oil 'natural gas 'coal 'bio-fuel
nuclear'' solar 'wind 'everything 'anything as long as it
domestically produced''
then we could have a new middle east policy''
get the hell out altogether' disengage' close down
the military bases' bring the 5th fleet home''
the money we save maybe then we could address the
health care problem

Hellz, yeah! Exact;ey what I needed right now. It pays to think ahead. Thanks, chloe. You rock.

Chloe did good, but here's the real shit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZt4f62T0ls&feature=related

400 years?

Hellz, yeah! I can link again. Thanks, Mr. C. I'll not abuse the privilege. Freedom!

commenting on crawford's call for diversity on the supreme court'' i think we should do away with the old old criteria for appointees' knowledge of constitutional law ' experience and temperament'
with the census coming up we should be able
to figure out the right ratio of ethnicity to accurately reflect the current population''
how about four men '' four women' maybe one
transvestite to round things off . two black'' two Hispanic'' one Asian the rest caucasian or something
like that
or maybe we could dna test potential justices' persons with the appropiate mixture of genes only should be considered
somebody like tiger woods '' well that would be perfect

"Pic of my new wharf:"

Thanks for those, Carol! Pure heaven!

Good morning Patsi,

Yes it is heaven and yesterday was a gift from God. Even though it looks like heaven here, the temperature has been more like hell. Yesterday it rained off and on so it was cloudy and the temp stayed within my tolerance level.

I kept thinking, am I dead and this is heaven and will we even know when we pass on? I figured since I was still getting lots of calls from work, I probably was still alive. I really don't think I would continue to be on call if I was in heaven unless I still have some bad karma to pay off.

I don't think I care if there is a little bias on the Supreme Court just as long as the bias balances out. We need enough bias to protect everyone. A little female, minority bias is good.

I don't think ole Thomas helped much for minorities, did he? His bias probably helped those A-hole men who like to hit on women and pretend they didn't. I watched is confirmation hearings and my intuition screamed that Ms Hill was telling the truth. No one would put themselve through what she did unless it was absolutely necessary. She was a hero. Even my little rebel self wouldn't have done it.

And Ivy, I was standing outside enjoying the sun rise just now and my two hummers came over, not close to their feeder, and started doing a dance around me. I thought it must be time to change the juice in their feeder. It is. This is weird when little birds start communicating with me. You can now call me the bird whisperer.

"My favorite bad guy....G. Khan....how many people do you think died from just one of his battles?"

solar, but he sort of off-set all that killing with a lot of impregnating. isn't his the dna found spread so far and wide? seems like almost everyone is related to old uncle ghengis.

"You can now call me the bird whisperer."

ct, can see you now putting those little saddles on the hummingbirds and you and maggie flying off to river heaven.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3usXFCh56iA

Uncle Pat: MSNBC’s Knowing Promotion of White Supremacy and Racial Hatred
By: Scarecrow Thursday July 16, 2009 11:43 pm
http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/6410
MSGOP's avuncular face of hate

If you look at Senator Kyle, he had to placate the Joe Arpaio crowd in AZ, and yelling at a Latina was music to their ears. But did anyone in the Republican Party consider the larger damage he was doing to the image of Reublicans in Latin eyes?

I'm ready- party at Carol's!

Carol.... those wharf pictures ARE heaven.... I'm jealous of you and Maggie getting to go fishing. I used to fish a lot before I decided to make my hobby of weaving into my avocation. But semi-retirement is calling to me. Maybe I'll join you two for some good catfish fishin'....
and Bethy is right.... you do under appreciate yourself.

So sorry to hear about Walter Cronkite. Bill Maher announced it on his show last night. And Sea... I bet he was a pleasure to work for....

Celebrating our godson's 21st birthday later today. I swear he was only 2 just last month....

Come on OSH, I'm ready, I have a freezer full and the fish are biting. I even have some of my ass kicking BBQ sauce frozen, ready to thaw out.

I just went to get some more cold worms and ice to prepare for fishing. On the way back I heard my favorite "I'm happy and doing a little jig" song. It is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eONhto0x_nI

Now it is time to give the worms a little pep talk. See ya around.

"I'm ready- party at Carol's!"

I'm right behind you, OSH!

Come on Renee and everyone else. I have enough to share. Just head south and if you get to the Gulf, you went a little too far.

And Patsi, you already know the way since you've been to Lake Arthur.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244753

Actually Max, the majority of the deaths from the Spanish flu came AFTER the war was over in 1918

http://virus.stanford.edu/uda/

The majority of the deaths during the war came from the use of poisons such as mustard gas and poorly fought and planned trench wars such as Gallipolli

My favorite song about WW I - Grieen Fields of France

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntt3wy-L8Ok

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244766

Carol --

Your pictures are super - your camera captures great detail. I took particular notice of your hummer feeder. I never thought of hummingbirds eating anything but nectar, but I saw a male hummer catch a moth in mid-air. We had overcast and thunderstorms, so it was like twilight at 3:30. I guess that was dark enough to bring out the moths. The moth fluttered which caught my eye, and the hummer leapt off its perch and grabbed it. I couldn't believe my eyes, so I googled, and discovered they do eat insects.

http://www.wbu.com/education/hummingbirds.html

Jamie & Chloe --

I was rushing around yesterday with little time for posting, but thanks for the Edinburgh "tour" and comments yesterday...reminded me how much I enjoyed that city...'course I was there during a "heat wave" and when it stayed light outside until 11 p.m., and hubs points out I'd feel differently in the winter when it gets dark in the middle of the afternoon.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244596

Pat --

Thanks for the "polka dots." I'm off soon to get hubs at the airport returning from his "camping expedition." I'm sure I'll be listening to Buddy-stories all weekend.

(^_~)

The world's inaction on North Korea has consequences. Instead of Pannetta spending so much time embroiling Congress in a debate about terminating AQ, perhaps he should have been pressuring Congress to make the relationshop between North Korea and Iran clear to the American people and the real stakes involved in an accelerating Iranian program to build the bomb. .

In an obvious warning to the Obama administration, the Israeli people, the Iranian government and the world at large, one Israeli strategic think that as just released this information:

"DEBKAfile's military sources reveal that Iran is in the last stages of construction of a nuclear test site in the Kavir Lut desert between Tehran and its eastern border with Afghanistan. The work is managed by the Iranian experts invited to attend North Korea's nuclear test this year. (DEBKAfile reported June 27 that Iran has opened the way for a nuclear test.)

Two of the diplomats attached to the UN nuclear watchdog agency in Vienna confirmed to the Associated Press Saturday July 18 that Iran now has the means to test a weapon within six months. One said more specifically: "Iran has the capacity, if not the intention, to set off a test explosion in six months."

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the two diplomats emphasized there were no indications of plans for a nuclear test and in their opinion Iran is unlikely to risk heightened confrontation with the West and chances of an Israeli attack with such a course.

For the last six months, DEBKAfile's intelligence sources have all stressed that this supposition is wishful thinking having confirmed that Iran is squarely on the fast track for an N-test. Once preparations are complete, its leaders will not hesitate to conduct one, following the North Korean model.

And indeed the two diplomats in Vienna admitted the Iranians were blocking UN nuclear agency attempts to upgrade monitoring resources.

As recently as July 9, DEBKAfile's military sources reported: "The US, Europe - and even the Binyamin Netanyahu government - appear to have adopted the same strategy for North Korea and Iran. It is a combination of harsh oral rebukes coupled with a refusal to address North Korea's violations and Iran's race for a nuclear bomb in any practical way, even though sanctions are clearly of no effect at all.

A blind eye is equally turned to the close collaboration between Pyongyang and Tehran on their missile and nuclear development programs. The two rogue states are also clearly in tune on their nuclear diplomacy and timetables.

According to DEBKAfile's intelligence sources, North Korea shared the results of its latest missile launches with Iran, exactly as it did after its nuclear and ballistic tests. But neither Washington nor Jerusalem has raised a hand. Both nuclear transgressors are getting away with the gross, ongoing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and making a mockery of international law and UN resolutions."

Therefore, the diplomat's estimate Saturday that the Iranians will not risk confrontation with the West or chance an Israeli attack is completely unfounded, as are the theories that the Iranian leadership is in too shaky a position at home to go forward with a nuclear test. As soon as the test site is ready, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will not be deterred from taking the nuclear plunge by the unrest at home, any more than grave illness has stopped Kim Jong-II flouting international prohibitions.

Still, the US and Europe will not fall out of their chairs because they have given the ayatollahs all the time they needed to attain a nuclear weapon."

So we have about six months before Iran might very well detonate their first atomic bomb somewhere not too far from the Afghanistan border where the US is fighting a war with the Taliban. And they will do this with North Korean help as the rush to build delivery systems. Perhaps now Americans can understand both the dangerous game that is really going on and the basis of the strange Sunni/Israeli alliance.

And with Obama's numbers dropping, what will the political climate be like here. What will Panetta say? Will he add this to the CIA misteps on the Lebanese election, the dissent in Iran, the real activities of North Korea and the amount of arms Hizb'Allah as stshed on the border with Israel? I will love to hear Obama tell us his policies are working.

Perhaps you can see how political fortune turns when people lose faith in promises and when credibility fades. I suggest the Obama administration deal with this BEFORE it happens, not after the de fact fact of Iranian nukes.

Posted by: bob h Author Profile Page | July 18, 2009 8:07 AM

Hi bob
and exactly right!

Hey Ct

Thanks for posting the pictures I see you enjoy the same year round Christmas light tradition we have in the Russian River Resorts area.

And I think a big party at your house is a fine idea.

"you don't talk to much. Its theraputic anyway." http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244739

That's the same thing I've always thought Max. Group therapy.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244756

Carol ( or should I call you Bird Whisperer :)), I agree with all those good things that Bethy said to you. Glad you've been having such a good time. You've set things up in your life just right.

.
"You rock."

Champ, One of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. It's always about the little things

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244785

I was wondering also about the multi-colored large-sized Christmas-lights...is that a cajun thing? My neighbors put them up around Mardi Gras and leave them up for weeks. They may-or-may not appear again for a late-summer party. No twinkly all-white mini-lights for these guys!

"I was wondering also about the multi-colored large-sized Christmas-lights...is that a cajun thing" ivygreen

Definitely not cajun here....I think more year round party.

Well my walking on sunshine song brought on the sunshine which made it too hot to fish right now. The trees that hang over the wharf will block the sun a little later. I guess I could go mow the hay I have growing at my house.....I started it the other day but my heart just wasn't in it. Maybe later.

KGC, I was hoping no one would notice that my Christmas lights are still up. No such luck. I'm a procrastinator and since it took too long to put them out, I just left them out. Nice decoration, I think.

Ivy, I didn't know that about the hummers eating bugs but I guess they also need their protein. Also people may not realize that using that red colored water is not good for the hummers. Just use 4 parts water to 1 part regular sugar. They will come if you have some red on the feeder.

Wiki says" and mentions the bugs

"Red food dye is often added to homemade solutions. Commercial products sold as "instant nectar" or "hummingbird food" may also contain preservatives and/or artificial flavors as well as dyes. The long-term effects of these additives on hummingbirds have not been studied, but studies on laboratory animals indicate the potential to cause disease and premature mortality at high consumption rates.[20] Although some commercial products contain small amounts of nutritional additives, hummingbirds obtain all necessary nutrients from the insects they eat. This renders the added nutrients unnecessary.[13]"

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

Ivy, I would imagine it gets unbelievably dark out there on the River. Those lights, against that water view is probably stunning. We've put mini lights on our upstairs balcony and only use occasionally. I was shocked when we moved out here that it could get that dark at night, since I'd never lived anywhere without street lights before. Pitch black and all you can hear are the insects at night. I love it.

Ct- We saw a red throated hummingbird this morning. We don't have a feeder but think he came around cause we are the only people around that allow the privet to bloom. Would like to buy a feeder though. How long do you need to boil it?

OSH, I put my water in the microwave for about a minute to make it easier to dissolve the sugar. I don't boil the water. I use distilled water for me, Maggie and my hummers. Feeders are cheap at the WM.

I wonder if it is safe to admit that I love Gregorian chants. My sisters hate them, but they are bliss for me.
Added to that is the existence of Hildegarde van Bingham as one of the top composers.~~bethyboo

Yes, Bethy, it's safe. I love them too.

Have you ever heard the all-female group Anonymous 4? They've done some excellent recordings of Hildegarde von Bingen.

Bethy &KT....
I LOVE Gregorian chants too... they come from deep inside a person's soul...

My garden out front has blossomed overnight.... as we finally have some summer weather. I will keep a lookout for the hummers now.

Carol.... hope you and Maggie have a great time fishing this weekend...

going to the birthday party now.... see y'all later...

OH, CAROL,

You say that you love me. How can you...when U treat me cruel.
Ive seen the names of the party goers.
no where does my name appears.....no Sturg, Pogo..... what happened to the invitation....the one labeled, this one is Solar's

I would dance all night with you and Maggie, out side by the pool
I would dance all night with you, Maggie, the giant beaver, the aligator also.....that would be cool.

You have invited most of the TM'r , all them gals.
No, Jack , Flatus, Warren, Champ, or the Tony Baloney.
what happened to all of the men folk......you say are you pals?
We will never again believe you when you call anyone honey.

But come to think of it. Just all of you women.....getting a tan.

I think that I will come over.......I know that will...I know that I can.

Now that I have made a complete idiot out of my self.
See U later....going back on the shelf.

Given the Shiite takeover of Iraq and the current agreement limiting our forces, it may be time to just get out.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/17/AR2009071703634.html?nav=rss_email/components

Hi Jamie,

There are two signals coming from Iraq. One is that are our firends and inderstand the threats still at their door step. This morning a leader of the "Awakening" was injured as Aq tried to kill him. The other signal is to voters who Maliki is tried to win over. Much of the bravado is an attempt to look strong and independent.

How this plays out is to be seen, but pulling out now is exactly what AQ and Iran want. Once out, Biden says we'll not go back in, so waiting to see what happens is the best course. I suggested we pull out troops to the borders and stop any interference from Iran and Syria.

On another note, Obama repeats the claim that his healthcare bill will not raise our deficit and refuses to address the CBO report. Is that what we want to hear from our President. More of Daddy knows best. Then he uses scare tactics when there is little opposition to fear in making it a beter bill. Last, he claims no one will have to leave their present insurance company, but he knows that is not up to him. It is up to the thousands of CEO who will make that choice.

So should we feel comfortable with the Presdient's words? Given the situation with other bills, what is the score card. Unemployment is rising and growth slower than expected. Bank of America is doing better. Goldman is doing better as are other banks. I suspect this all has an affect on Obama's numbers.

And what will happen when Iran tests that nuke. Politics is still musical chairs, and the music has not stop playing.

ooopsss, got to run.

max

Threw some bait out there, but Im not biting.

We should bring all of the troops home now!....from every where in the world. Close down most of the 750 bases. The more bases we have. the more the Pentagon will want to equip them with, and the more soldiers to run the daily operations?

American deaths are more than 4,328 now at 7-16-09
American wounded in combat---estimated to be over 100,000
320, with brain injuries
18 suicides per day--vets.

Coalition deaths-318
Afhganistan -740...and counting...Journalist...139
Contractor-employees, 1,360.....they should be the only ones dying imo.

Cost of the war, and adding up by the second. 920 bill......130 bill....requested for 2010

bring them home now!

Hell, I wasn't invited......

Solar your idea is to see the blood and money invested already be in vain. Now how stupid is that? How insulting to those who have lost family?

And by the way, it has been estimated that jihadists in the last 1400 years have murdered more than 200 million people. 80 million HIndus alone. Now compare that to Hitler, 9 million, or even Christians, 20 million (not including the death due to the slave trade).

Communists have killed more than 100,000,000

So your lamentation over preventing more of the same pales besides the numbers of history.

Don't you think?

kt, renee, one of my favorite cds is "chant" by some benedictine monks. one of my most memorable dates was to an early morning chant at a monastary in dallas.

I just think that the Financial security of our country is at stake now!

I would also stop giving financial aid to most of the counties that are not for humanitarian reason.....for one or two years. I you want peace in the world.....just drain it all of the MONEY...and come home.

http://www.politicalislam.com/tears/pages/tears-of-jihad/

Note I lowered the number for several reasons.

http://www.digitalsurvivors.com/archives/communistbodycount.php

note I lowered the number for several reasons

and some infor for you on Afghanistan:

http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/%5Cpapers31%5Cpaper3018.html

This shit ALWAYS comes back and haunts US

If you want to improve our economy, tell Obama to make a better healthcare bill, scrap the first stimulus bill and try for a better third one, move to improve clean technologies, and promote trade, not succumb to protectionist forces.

That would be a start.

Speaking of WW I, the world's oldest man and last surviving member of the original RAF died today at 113

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31979722/ns/world_news-europe/

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244800

Max,

Agree that preventing incursions from Syria and/or Iran into Iraq might be the best action. Also protect Kurdistan.

As to the CBO report, you are making exactly the same mistake all the news folk are making. The CBO rated the Senate Bill. That bill contained absolutely NO provisions for paying for the plan they designed since that was exactly what was intended. The Senate decided to handle the cost factors in a separate bill so that they could get the plan out at the same time as the expected House version.

IOW, there wasn't any money there in the first place for the CBO to judge so they did the expense side only.

There is more than enough money to cover a public option plan if Insurance, Big Pharma, and for profit facilities weren't lying through their greedy littly money grubbing teeth that have been feeding off the American public for decades.

750 Bases or more.......all of that spying is starting to add up quite a bit. Plus all of the money that we just hand over to the heads of Afghanistan, Pakistan, all of them....and what for? All they do is put it in their pockets. Im tired of it. If it would benefit the poor.....even just a little...but not a penny reaches them.

Ask Cindy Sheehan....people like her, that lost sons/daughters if they would be insulted if all of the soldiers come home.

Hubs home now and bending my ear with stories...don't know how much typing I'll get done...

Solar,

Just to point out the obvious, imagine what the unemployment rate would be if all the soldiers came home. You do realize that that is one of the main reasons we have a military as large as we do and why taxpayers pay their wages?

Fair's song of the day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLexVfeSYm4

Thomas Hampson singing Stephen Foster's "Beautiful Dreamer".

More links at Fairweather. Highbrow Saturday music blog (^_~)

kt, renee, one of my favorite cds is "chant" by some benedictine monks. one of my most memorable dates was to an early morning chant at a monastary in dallas.

Posted by: patd | July 18, 2009 1:45 PM

I've got that one too. Love it.

"What's the difference between a rock star and a jazz musician?"

"The rock star plays three chords in front of 10,000 people..."

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244792

Chloe --

It's been so long since I lived in Texas I forget what the night-bugs there sound like...but the Alabama bugs we live with now make a racket like freight trains. People from places with no bugs have commented, "What's THAT noise?"

Jamie I do realize that...but why is ok to keeping getting screwed.....never mind we will just go around in circles with this also........when it is someone elses son/daughter that gets killed...that is ok....lets see if it is still the same if it some one in our immediate family gets killed.

My son/daughter died for a good cause.....so the unemployment figures are kept down.

This is a big part of the problem to me. Why is there more money given....than the administration asked for in the first place. Where are the checks and balances?

The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) completed its markup of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 Defense Authorization bill (HR 2647) on June 17, 2009. HASC’s marked up bill recommends an overall FY’10 authorization level of $680.5 billion, $348 million more than requested by the administration. This $680.5 billion total includes $130 billion for ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and $550.5 billion for National Defense (function 050). Of the $550.5 billion slated for National Defense, $534.0 billion is for the Department of Defense (DOD) and $16.5 billion is for the Department of Energy’s nuclear weapons activities. The full House is expected to take up the Defense Authorization bill this week.

Re: healthcare reform

I'm not really in favor of limiting access to the public option, but if a limited access public option is all that can get passed the Senate, then better that than no public option, or no health care reform bill. If there's a system with a limited public option, then modification for expansion can take place later.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244796

"My garden out front has blossomed overnight...."

Renee --

I envy you. My garden was denuded last night...actually in the afternoon. The six-foot rabbits came marauding through my eponymous ivy bed. I thought they didn't eat ivy. I was wrong. I'm not a fan of hunting, but I was ready to hang some antlers on my wall.

Solar, since it was too hot to fish right now, I was out shopping at Harbor Frieght, a place where there is a lot of cheap junk that I don't need but managed to buy anyway.

I think I said everyone, does that somehow not include you????

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244793

OldSea --

Like Carol says, you don't need to boil, the object is to dissolve the sugar. Use regular sugar, not honey or artificial. Food coloring is optional - more for you than the birds. Sometimes I use green or blue coloring, but most of the time none at all. Like Carol said there are inexpensive feeders at Wal-mart - I bought a $2.80 one while visiting Scottsdale, AZ last fall and we were rewarded with Anna's Hummers (a rare treat for me). I left it at the condo we rented. Oh wait, I forgot, my el cheapo brother packed it and took it home.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/annas_hummingbird/id

Hummers are bold and very inquisitive - they been buzzing around my front door wreath this week only to discover the sunflowers adorning it are fake!

oops, Hubs' nap was short...more stories on the way...I need to pretend I'm listening...

I need to pretend I'm listening...

Small correction to myself - "pretend" was a poor word choice...I should have said "act like" because I actually am paying attention to the stories even when I'm typing on here at the same time, it's just that he thinks I'm not...

...words do matter...just ask the horse that rode off the cliff but for the word "Whoaaa...!"

And Tony, having a public option for insurance or single payor is not going to keep those who abuse the ER from doing it. It is usually those who have no money who do it.(That includes those with Medicaid) The do it because can't be sued for the bill because they have no money. Anyone else would have to pay up.

I spend a significant amount of time teaching my inmates, who do it all the time when out of jail, to use a primary care Doc instead of an emergency for their primary care. I tell them the "treat um and street um" is the ER motto and the ER could care less about their chronic illnesses.

We have a good charity system here for primary care. I guess some just don't want to have to make an apppointment, they want to drop in when they feel like it and don't seem to mind a 10 hour wait if their problem is not an emergency.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244792 "the Alabama bugs we live with now make a racket like freight trains."

Same here Ivy. This is so different than what you get in a dry climate. The humidity levels in California were often single digit, and here, they're sometimes a 100%. I don't understand how it can be 100% and not raining.

I saw what you said about your garden being attacked by rabbits. Mine was attacked to, but I didn't know by what. They actually pulled things up by the roots. I figured it was the raccoons, which I know we have, but my hub saw a armadillo out there the other night. I keep forgetting to tell Tony about it.

Tony, I've never seen an armadillo on our property in the sixteen years we've lived here, but after hearing about your problems with them, they turned up at my house too. I can't believe it.

Ivy, Let us know how your hub like his camp.

"If ever there was a time for a 3rd party, for all the disenfranchised of all political stripes- It's now"

Ree, I hadn't thought about that, but you're absolutely right. A serious, believable, honest, logical, no nonsense sort of candidate, with some fresh new ideas and a lot of empathy. (help me out with the adjectives :)

"And Tony, having a public option for insurance or single payor is not going to keep those who abuse the ER from doing it.'

Hi Carol. Don't you think the single pay would help though. I realize they go to emergency, because as far as they're concerned, it's free. But if they had insurance, why wouldn't they then go to a general practitioner. Who in their right mind would prefer to sit around an emergency room, waiting to see an intern (ha!, as opposed to waiting hours in a doctors office waiting to see and PA.

i'm kinda curious to know what person could be a serious contender for 3rd party candidate for pres...........who's out there who would fill that bill, or is it someone as yet under the radars.......

Carol, A while back, you said that a doctor is really just a consultant, that we should do our research and be an active participant in our care. I've repeated that to people since then, because I never thought of it that way.... most people don't.

Knowing that now, I have realized that people in the medical field don't know everything, as I had once pictured them. Some are great, some are good and others aren't. I've found that thought unsettling, the more I've come to accept it. I liked it a lot better, when I thought that no matter what happened to me, they'd know exactly how to fix it.

Watching a few episodes of Dr. House didn't help either. What an idiot he is (fiction, I know). But stil, it was hit and miss, hit and miss.

Ross Perot almost had it, Sturge. That guy was going to win...

Good question Sturge. I figure he's under the radar right now, but how much credibility will he/she have, if we don't have enough experience to look at. Maybe it'll be an out of work actor, that is really good at convincing people. (Reagan comes to mind, but let's hope he's not another Reagan).

Where's Flatus? Anyone know.

Chloe --

My rabbits were the six-footers and one had antlers... got a good look at them before I chased them off...

http://ww2.lafayette.edu/~hollidac/jackalope.html

(^_~)

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244832

Me been wondering the same thing for two days...did I miss a vacation announcement from Flatus? Stinky got him doing outdoor chores? He's being missed on the Trail...

LOL Ivy, I guess I missed that on your post. I have deer too. I think gardens are a waste of time, energy and money for me.

Chloe --

I swear I'm going to forswear gardening...well, just for today.

(^_~)

We're not in Hill Country, but this is what our cute little deer look like ( smaller than other places). http://www.highlandlakes.com/wildlife/

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-c.cgi#comment-244826

"...Let us know how your hub like his camp."

Chloe --

In hubs' own words... "This is what I did on my summer vacation...a great experience. We had 8-10 hours each day of class, jamming, special clinics, concerts, etc. Never put the ax down all week, except when we went to Buddy Guy's club Thurs morning. He talked to about 30-40 of us for a couple of hours...the blues, great players he came up with like Muddy, BB, Lightning Hopkins, Hubert Sumlin, Jimi, Eric and on and on."

"The other great part of this was seeing some absolutely astounding young people play guitars, drums and bass. Just awesome. One group did a cover of Buddy Guy's " Damn Right I Got The Blues", that was just jaw dropping. The lead guitarist was maybe 20 (I talked to him later and found out that he played at Buddy's club the night before). The energy from these young people was inspiring. They were very supportive of us old guys being there. And FYI, while this was "camp" with at least 70% under 25 yrs. old, but there were plenty of guys over 40 (and over 50)."

"The level of instruction was top notch. All different genres, jazz, blues, rock, metal, funk (think about the back up music for James Brown, fastest strumming I've ever seen), etc. Every teacher was incredibly talented both as a teacher and perfomer (they played the first two nights...after that it was just us campers)."

Ivy, MG, If I had any musical abilities at all (which I don't), I'd want to go there. What an experience. They ought to put all that stuff you just said on one of their ads.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244839

Chloe -- credit goes to hubs...I can barely hum a tune and I sure can't whistle dixie...

(^_~)

Is it okay to kick off Saturday night with a joke from the Internet?

"Last night, my husband and I were sitting in the living room and I said to him, 'I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle. If that ever happens, just pull the plug.'

He got up, unplugged the computer, and threw out my wine."

Oh Ivy, That is so funny!

Carol,

I should have put a lot of these :-))) on that post.

The problem for a third party candidate is you need a third party with third party ideas. Very hard to do in our system. The main parties will steal any good idea and use it to peel away third party voters.

Indies like Perot don't have any base that will automatically vote for them they have to persuade all of their votes, they always start behind.

Jack

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244817

Solar,

You can keep the general public supporting the military/industrial complex with the whole idea of "security" even when virtually half of the soldiers in combat areas are mercenaries dragging down huge salaries and the corporations are raking in billions.

It would probably be much harder to convince people that they should pay the salaries for a 100,000 people to go to work for businesses that planted trees, built homes, constructed bridges, paved roads, installed windmills and solar panels etc.

If we are going to go into massive debt, it might as well be in a way that would leave us with something to show for the money other than a lifetime of carrying for people with missing parts.

Just had company leave so catching up. Now there's a big thunderstorm overhead.

Yes Chloe medicine is not an exact science. You can feel better if your practitioner takes the time to get a very good history. It is the most important part of the assessment because it guides and directs the rest of the assessment. It also takes lots of time so it is often neglected. Not having the right info from the start leads to a lot of goose chasing and wasted time and money.

If you feel rushed with your practitioner, find someone else unless you feel certain your practitioner has ESP. And actually that really is involved. With lots of experience, you develop a sort of sixth sense with medicine.

And Chloe, having insurance doesn't prohibit someone from going to the ER. If they have money and the ER is not covered because it was not warranted, the person will have to pay for the visit so they don't do it. Those with no money but so have Medicaid don't have to pay so nothing prohibits them from going to ER.

Jamie, Agreed.

I can see the need for our Military complex and the Security that they provide us. But as you just said .....it is all mostly a big business now: One that is not working properly, and needs to be looked at , slimmed down, and see were we are spending life, and money that does not make any sense in today's environment. But I do agree with you.

Specially this part...."If we are going to go into massive debt, it might as well be in a way that would leave us with something to show for the money other than a lifetime of carrying for people with missing parts."

Jamie, I have been meaning to ask you, how did your thing go, the one about that song that I interpreted for you?. The reason is that ....there is one word in there that kept bugging me,,,,and it meant...mist .....I hope that I did not throw it off too much.

The party that I voted for since 1980....The Natural Law Party....had a base, and had elected people both at the city , and state levels in all of the states..or most of them.

John Haglen......had to drop out because it took so much money to run a national campaign, against the two established party's. What chance does one have now that it cost a bill....none .... but I will still say that we need a third party...Im with Ree!

An Attractive person, like ex Senator Chuck Hagle would get the money for a run if he wanted too. I think that he would attract people from both sides of the aisle no?

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244847

Solar,

It is on my blog today.

http://jdurward.blogspot.com

Carol, I heard some distant thunder rumblings here too, but I think they already passed us by, as usual here lately.

What I was thinking about are the ER visits made by the people that have no insurance and no money, and therefore have no choice. (A doctor won't take them with no means to pay). With Universal coverage, the hospital will be more likely to get paid, when they go to emergency. The hospitals not getting paid now, is what's causing some of the problem. Someone's paying.

If they have insurance, they will at least have the choice of going to a personal physician. Without insurance, their choices are limited. Sure, some people will still go to ER, because of timing, severity of injury, etc., but there will be less and the ones that do go, will probably have their claims paid.

i think perot began to see that he actually might have a chance to win and he took steps to muck it up.....i don't think being president was ever part of his inscrutabalistic plan.......

Wait a minute, wait a minute! Patd, I was thte first to admit I love gregorian chants but you left me out! Don't you like me??????? :))

Yes, I love the Anonymous 4 - have two of their cd's, and one of Hildegarde. I also have a boxed set from christmas several years ago. My problem is that my cd player is acting up so can't play them. I have a "new" cd player from several christmases ago but haven't set it up. Those cd players are stinkers, aren't they? They don't seem to be built to last more than a year.

As for the chants, Renee, I love the co-operation between the voices and the discipline of the composition and harmony. I love watching or hearing something that has come from devoted practice, the time given to create a thing of beauty. Chants are so measured and harmonious that I immediately melt. I love spontaneity and variety also,but they invigorate me. Chants make my heart beat right.

Did that crabhill (sp?) really say that the founding fathers were extreme right-wingers?????? Ha! She just wants to identify with them. The hard right in those days were the ones on top - the abusers of power - the ones who didn't believe in the right of revolution.

Even the imperial chinese believed in the right of revolution, even the duty of revolution. When those on top lost the mandate of heaven, it was time to change those on top.

Ms Crabhill sees the founding fathers as gun-toters
and nothing else. I think they did more thinking and reasoning than shooting, a whole lot more. They read and wrote, and wondered and discussed. They were the ones who wrote for the first time the outrageous words, WE the People, the most liberal words ever.

The hard right were those who didn't like those words
and fought us and lost. Hell, they didn't even like the words, We the Barons in 1215.

Of course, that's just the way I see it, but I can't imagine her seeing Sam Adams as conservative, then or now. That lady is too far removed from reality.

Oh yeah. I love the cicades at night in the mid-west. Out here, we get tree frogs especially when it's wet.
Sure you get them out west, don't you, KGC?

Jamie,

It looks very nice. I have been in and out of your blog, and have not left any comments. They always remind me of when I was in Advertising.

Logo, text size, pics, all have a balance, just like the copy that my secretary tried to get me to do. Im honored that you by what you said also......thank you. The word that I was looking for has the same meaning....so no harm done.

Hi there, hope all are having a great weekend.

I've been doing some number crunching on healthcare and I don't see yet how this doesn't increase our defict or create new taxes or reduce medicare

It would have better sense to fix the latter first.

Some intelligent options on Iran short of war my friend Solar, but then I'm talking to a wall on this one:

http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/2009/07/a-microcosm-of.php

Oh, a funnt video on healthcare: http://noblesseoblige.org/wordpress/2009/07/08/health-care-reform-costs-visualized/

Big Brother update:

"It couldn't have been Lolita? Amazon (AMZN) got itself into a bind by remotely erasing copies of George Orwell books from Kindle devices. This follows on the heels of a class action lawsuit over cracked screens on the popular electronic book reader. 1984 and Animal Farm were the two Orwell books removed, reports the Times, after a publisher who didn't control the books' rights listed them in Amazon's e-book store anyway. "Amazon effectively acknowledged that the deletions were a bad idea. ‘We are changing our systems so that in the future we will not remove books from customers' devices in these circumstances.' " "Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime is death," Orwell wrote in 1984." Slate

Oh, I almost forget. Here is something I think you will LOVE Solar;

http://www.defensetech.org/archives/004936.html#comments Darpa's Dawn of the Dead?

See last comment I left at the first link cited above: Totten. My options on Iran are listed there.

solar:

don't know what he's saying but it looks interesting from the outside:

http://cursosindividuales-recloux.blogspot.com/

Zelaya can always get a job selling coffee beans.

Just look at his picture: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8157600.stm

new york state canal system:

http://www.nyscanals.gov/maps/index.html

pictures in a foriegn language:

http://trollogting.blogspot.com/

Max,

Let any family that wants to buy into Medicare on a sliding scale according to income filed with IRS. By having healthy families increasing the numbers, it would offset the elderly. It truly is an excellent plan and most of the insurance companies and or non profit groups that service it offer good basic plans with low copays. It would probably save the system just because of the healthy people increasing the numbers and contributing real dollars instead of just deductions from Social Security.

The only thing preventing it, is that the Insurance companies know that it is truly well administered single payer system at a much lower cost than anything they offer.

Sturg,

Very interesting site: It is called. Art--Philosophy, and letters (poetry)

Courses in symbolic languages:

The first is about the language of tarot cards.... The third and the fourth, and fifth.... looks like what is in the interest's that you like. A course of the white godess (the moon) and the language of poetry.

The philosophy of Plato, Nietzche and others. I will look at it from time to t ime and transalate if I can....If you want.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244854

Solar,

Doi me a favor. Leave a comment when you stop by. It is what keeps bloggers posting. Talking to yourself just isn't any fun. If someone says something I don't like, I know how to delete. :-)

Ok, Jamie. will do just that.

a different jackson:

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

the blind trading licks with the blind:

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

solar......dont go to any trouble, but if you see something which looks interesting and is not too long, sure...........i like to try out my espanol when i can........

Tree goats:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DGqy8zIupHQ/Sl_vlPg93fI/AAAAAAAAAOI/cP516EHc6Ds/s1600-h/goats.jpg

a different jackson:

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

Posted by: sturgeone | July 18, 2009 9:57 PM

Thanks for this link, Sturg. I'd never heard the original recording of this--only the 1982 Milsap one--to tell the truth, I like Chuck Jackson better--

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244860

Denmark? Just guessing...the dogs are beautiful...we had one like them once...

Hi bethy

crickets and frogs ..sometimes they are really loud.
I was in SF today -- lovely and so much going on

Yes, I love the Anonymous 4 - have two of their cd's, and one of Hildegarde. I also have a boxed set from christmas several years ago. My problem is that my cd player is acting up so can't play them. I have a "new" cd player from several christmases ago but haven't set it up. Those cd players are stinkers, aren't they? They don't seem to be built to last more than a year.~~bethyboo

I got lucky with my last CD player--it was about $25 on sale and although the tone leaves a lot to be desired it's lasted longer than the ones I pd. more for!

I've got one of Anonymous4's Hildegard CDs and another CD--a bit out there--of musical settings of her chants by a guy called Richard Souther--about as wildly different from Anon4 as you can get but quirky and interesting. Have you heard that one?

Im finally convinced that we landed on the moon. Pictures of left over hardware are taken by a reconnaissance orbiter.

http://www.newscientist.com/search?rbauthors=Rachel+Courtland

http://www.newscientist.com/section/space

Sturge, I think that may be Norwegian. But you can also select 'detect language' on the google tranlate page. But then when it translates it to English, I still don't see where it tells you what the original language is. But the translator will take large passages at the same time, which makes it easy. http://translate.google.com/#

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244859

Sturgeone,

I didn't realize there was a place in the states where you could lease an English narrowboat. I saw them on the Macclesfield Canal in England and would really love to do that for myself someday.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244809

Jamie
Damn,we need you in Washington.I think you could make a single payer option happen...I just don't see why they don't get it together and get this thing done...You make so much sense regarding the CBO,Max are you listening???

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244824

Hey Carol
I would think if we get everyone insured it would help cut down on some of the ER traffic.It would seem to me that if everyone was insured that people would more often than not use there primary care physician..I know it wouldn't stop some who don't have money and don't care about getting sued or there credit.Oh and immigrants with no S.S. number...Are these reasons enough to not have a single payer system?? The majority of citizens suffer because of the few.....

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244826

"They actually pulled things up by the roots"

Chloe
That is what armadillos do...Your husband is correct...Just last night they got me again..I must have spent a good 30 minutes today filling holes in the back lawn and replanting the St. Augustine grass they pulled up by the roots...So destructive they are and nothing I mean nothing sends them packing..The little babies are cute but my dislike for them remains the same....

why'd the chicken cross the road?

to show the armadillo it could be done.....

http://brainy33.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/armadillo_dead_a02.jpg

"Alliances In Health Debate Splinter"

"Republicans, conservative groups . . . responded by accelerating efforts to derail the legislation, portraying Democratic proposals as costly and dangerous experiments. . .. Their main goal is to slow down the pace of the legislation in Congress in the hope of fomenting wider opposition."

http://tinyurl.com/m7e3cv

Max, I see you got your tpm today.

R&B mood tonite.

I love this irish girl's music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GQV1maw1zw

not my idea 'but i'll use it
congress should be told that they had better pass a health care plan that everybody can live with because
it will be the health care for all government employees
from the president on down including themselves'
everybody gets the same quality and access ' if it's
good enough for us well it should be good enough for them' we are all in this together '' aren't we ?

I'm getting GD sick & tired of hearing these 'folks' threaten the US government.

Can't someone do something about that?

Isn't it treason? "serious acts of disloyalty to one's sovereign or nation."

They're traitors!

tt

I should start a Traitor's List.

And I am, starting with Catherine Crabill.

tt

Traitor's List

Catherine Crabill: (Republican legislative candidate in Virginia,) "We have the chance to fight this battle at the ballot box before we have to resort to the bullet box.

tt

Tiptoe, You go, girl!

Sturgeone, Do you know where that blog is from? I suspect Norway because of trolls and the mention of Bergen, but If I had to choose twice, I'd say the Alexandraparken might indicate Denmark, which would suffice.

I'm sitting here at 12:40 am with my door open and my wonderful station playing, and the cool air is wafting in the smell of skunk. I think maybe I'll close up shop before a little nose comes up to my screen.

By the way, Sturgeone, that dead armadillo lloked so pathetic and repellent, all at the same time. why don't they go back where they came from??????????????

bethy, sturge and tony (our man of the "dillo) here's an old ode i once penned after a florida road trip:

to an armadillo

ancient armadillo,
how impervious you are,
equipped with armor
by ages of perfection.
how many million years,
how many ancestors died,
how many survived
to make that chromosomal combination?
sad little armadillo,
as impervious as you are,
after all that preparation,
crushed by a car.

I was waiting for a new thread but since nothing yet I will post my comment.

"I would think if we get everyone insured it would help cut down on some of the ER traffic.It would seem to me that if everyone was insured that people would more often than not use there primary care physician"

Tony you might think that, I understand, but that is not the case. Where I live there are several options available for primary care for anyone who can't afford health care. There probably is something similar in most large towns. There are still many people who abuse the ER because they can. They go in with colds, and worms and all sorts of little things because they can.

There are people who will abuse the system because they can. I'm just saying that you can't necessarily use that arguement. Those who wouldn't abuse the ER but can't afford a Doc, just go without health care. They would only use the ER if absolutely necessary. Those who abuse the ER still will. Those with Medicaid have an option for primary care and still they are some of the biggest abusers.

I guess they just don't want to make an appointment like the rest of us do. When they do make an appointment, that they don't have to pay for, they are the most likely to not show up for it. I worked at several clinics that saw those with Medicaid. You had to book 5 patients for one spot to get one to show up. If it rained or if they had something better come up, they didn't show up. I have even seen people who were in the ER finally being seen but someone called with a more interesting option and they walked out after wasting everyone's time.

It would be impossible to have an abuse free system. I can see all kinds of problems with trying to change the system because I have been pondering this issue for over 30 years. It might be something best done with baby steps.

It would be better to slowly fix things that are wrong rather than trying to overhaul everything at once. Can't see all the small details and small details are important. I foresee a big mess if they do try to do a major overhaul. If it is done too fast, I see taxpayors paying even more, and those who are profiting from our taxes, raking in even more money.

By Mark Sanford

I have struggled with how best to convey my regret in letting so many down, and in that regard I realize this op-ed does not do justice to the process of saying “I am sorry.” A handwritten note or phone call would ultimately be more appropriate, but given the number of people I need to apologize to I write this to begin the journey of trying to get things more right with you and others.

It is true that I did wrong and failed at the largest of levels, but equally true is the fact that God can make good of our respective wrongs in life. In this vein, while none of us has the chance to attend our own funeral, in many ways I feel like I was at my own in the past weeks, and surprisingly I am thankful for the perspective it has afforded.

If you ever have the misfortune of being at this point, whether self-induced as in my case or not, it will give you an indeed amazing perspective on life and on what really matters. I read notes from someone who worked in a sandwich shop I ate at ten years ago, from 7th grade classmates, from state employees and more. While there have been lifetimes of lessons learned over the past weeks, three things most immediately come to mind.

One, forgiveness and grace really do matter. I used to believe that at an intellectual level, now it is at the level of heart. Over my life I have not given enough of either, and yet given all the ways in which my failings have come to light, I write to apologize for, in the most profound of ways, letting you and so many others down. In life it’s always the people closest to us that we hurt the most, and given my standing of public trust, I know I’ve hurt many across our state. I apologize for this, and more than anything would ask for your forgiveness going forward.

Two, life is indeed about way more than public standing or political views, it’s about recognizing that none of us are the arbiters of truth, that there are moral absolutes, and that there is a God to whom we will all report for our actions. My failure has been most glaring on this front, where no public apology can make wrong right. As a consequence, it is on this plane that I’ve grown the most over the past weeks – and where I’m committed to growing the most going forward.

I’ve been humbled and broken as never before in my life and as a consequence have given up areas of control in a way that I never have before – and it is my belief that this will make me a better father, husband, friend and advocate.

It’s in the spirit of making good from bad that I am committing to you and the larger family of South Carolinians to use this experience to both trust God in his larger work of changing me, and from my end, to work to becoming a better and more effective leader.

In this regard I think all that has transpired will be particularly relevant in the way I deal with the legislative body and other state leaders going forward. Micah 6:8 asks us to do justice, love mercy, and to walk humbly, and as I begin these steps into the last 18 months of this administration, it will indeed be with a more contrite and humble spirit.

I’ve realized that as much as I have and will continue to advocate for things ranging from restructuring to responsible spending to school choice, my approach needs to be less about my will and more about looking for ways to more humbly present the greater principals and ideas at play. It needs to be less strident and more about finding ways to work with legislative leaders to advance the ideas so many of us believe in. It means less time fighting the tide - and a greater awareness of the fact that God controls it. In working with a few alterations to my approach, I think this could be a far more productive last session than the one that would have been had the tragedy that has unfolded not occurred, and in turn, people’s lives can be made better.

Finally it is at your funeral that you in many ways not only can see most clearly the things that really matter in life, but where one gets the best glimpse of who your real friends are – and how much they matter. For that reason, I want to thank so many for their kindnesses and support over the years and for their kindness in this latest chapter in our book together as South Carolinians.
*************************************************************

ya can't make this crap up, ya know?

man, talk about whiny little pissants.......there's Exhibit A.

A hedge too far:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pMScl6tv4dI/Si5EYDSu1qI/AAAAAAAAAGs/CegfHTMt-6c/s1600-h/fn.576.jpg

If any of you Tweeters want to keep track of what the really wacko Right Wing Fringe is up to, you can follow these people

http://twitter.com/AIP_CA

Sanford! Whatta maroon!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/19/us/politics/19address.html?th&emc=th

"Obama Says Health Plan Won’t Add to Deficit"

“The same folks who controlled the White House and Congress for the past eight years as we ran up record deficits will argue — believe it or not — that health reform will lead to record deficits,” Mr. Obama said. “That’s simply not true.”

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244891

Carol
Your comment is an eye opener.I wish I had confidence in the politicians to take baby steps and fix things but I don't.I think its going to take something major like a single payer government option (medicare) to reign in the Insurance companies and there obscene behavior.I learned with my mom's 4 and half year cancer battle having insurance doesn't mean much when they refuse to pay....

Will Congress Set Back Okinawa Deal?
By Josh Rogin, CQ Staff

It took more than a decade for the Clinton and Bush administrations to negotiate agreements with Japan to reduce the U.S. military presence on Okinawa, including relinquishing a Marine Corps airfield on the crowded southern end of the island. Now some influential members of Congress are having second thoughts about the arrangement, and their intervention might set back the whole deal, along with U.S.-Japan relations.

The plan, for instance, includes transferring 8,000 Marines now stationed on Okinawa — roughly half the Marines who are there — to Guam. When the House Armed Services Committee drew up its fiscal 2010 defense authorization bill last month, however, Democrat Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii added a provision to require that wages paid to construction workers on Guam preparing for the Marines’ arrival be based not on the local scale but on wage rates in Hawaii, which are two-and-a-half times higher.add about $10 billion to the transfer’s cost.

This part gets me...He sounds just like the R's.....and the Bankers that want to attract the skilled people needed bs.

"Abercrombie says his provision is needed to bring skilled U.S. workers to the island, particularly unemployed Hawaiians. "

Another 10bill just laying around...I wish I was honest Abe's cousin or something,,,Im from Chicago,smells like nepotism to me!

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244891

CT

Maybe it is because they are "teaching" hospitals, but the triage system in Tacoma actually takes care of that problem. The emergency waiting rooms are virtually empty. Presuming you are ambulatory and not appearing to be in immediate risk of dying, you do a history (if one isn't already in their computer system), you are seen first by a PA who can prescribe and refer to one of the city Clinics or send you upstairs to a doctor or additional testing if needed. You might spend time in the halls up there, but there is never a time when there aren't medical personnel of some type keeping an eye on you.

Virtually all of those offering medical services in town are tied into the Community Health Service computer system. You would have to have a lot of names and SS numbers to go drug shopping and now they are addting photo IDs.

On top of it all they provide valet parking. :-)

I'm sure it requires a great deal of coordination between the state, city, and private medical services, but they are really good and I would tell other cities to look at the system in Washington.

Watching MTP

I hate to believe that Mitch McConnell is as terminally stupid as he seems, but it's not much of a choice. EIther he is almost brain dead unable to come up with an original thought and forced to parrot lines written for him or he is so totally bereft of ethics that he is willing to bankrupt and injure his fellow citizens rather than cooperate with the President to create a decent healthcare system.

Shall I list all the things Obama has said that simply not true? Let's talk his line that he is Israel's best friend. What the hell does he base this on? And his words were supposed to change the attitude of MUslims. Has it? Is there a sign that that are listening? And what do ISraelis think of Obama? I post a source that Patd has posted in the past. It should shed some light on Obama's falling grace in Israel.

I said this would happen during the primary and such a failure on Obama's part only increases action by Israel: http://rothkopf.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/07/17/jerusalem_post_poll

As far as Helthcare, I believe Obama like I believe many things he says: not very much, but then I haven't given up as many Israelis seem to have done. When all the empty rhetoric has left the house, I think Hillary would have achieved much more so far based on a more rational centrist line. Words are words. They often don't reflect reality.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/19/opinion/19dowd.html?th&emc=th

Don't care much for M.Dowd but this piece is so true...

"Pharisees on the Potomac"

Like cats that have lost their whiskers, the Republicans seem off balance now that they have lost their talent for hypocrisy.

They are still practicing the ancient political art of Tartuffery, of course, just without their former aplomb.

"Who can forget the glory years, when the Gipper invoked God but never went to church? When Arlen Specter accused Anita Hill of perjury to distract from Clarence Thomas’s false witness? When Newt Gingrich and other conservatives indulged in affairs with young Washington peaches as they pushed to impeach Bill Clinton?

No one had more flair than W. and Cheney, crowing about making us safe as they made the world more dangerous, and bragging about fiscal restraint while they spent us into oblivion."

Max,

Not everyone agrees with your view:

Obama Digs In
By MJ Rosenberg
Created Jul 17 2009 - 2:10pm

It had to happen. Once the right wing of the pro-Israel community in the United States-and their Israeli allies-realized that President Barack Obama was serious about pursuing peace, they would go on the attack.

Fortunately, the most virulent attacks have been limited to the extreme right in both countries. These are the same people who attacked Obama with vitriol during the campaign. For them, it was enough to know that he had a Muslim father and had said that the United States should be an "honest broker" in its dealings with Israelis and Palestinians.

The extremists hated him before he was elected and they hate him even more now. The Cairo speech received universal acclaim except from those who clamor for a war of civilizations with Islam.

Add to that President Obama's demand that Israel lives up to its commitments regarding the settlements and you have all the ingredients necessary to drive the right mad with rage.

And others too. Some "mainstream" leaders have expressed "concern" that the anti-Obama view has spilled over to more normal pro-Israel types. They say that they are hearing anti-Obama rumblings from their friends.

Those who believe that Israel's behavior should never be publicly questioned by a president are unhappy (especially because under the last two administrations it never happened). Fortunately, this is a tiny minority of the Jewish community.

-MORE-

http://israelpolicyforum.org/

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244899

Solar

A little insight. During the boom years, Hawaii was steadily trying to evict as many of the military functions as possible in order to reclaim land for tourism. Come the crash and all of a sudden, they have a huge unemployment problem. My son just got back from Hawaii where they have an extensive program for shipping the Strykers. Two years ago Hawaii wanted the Strykers to leave. This year they are rediculously friendly.

My guess is the Congressman is hunting for jobs for his constituents after catering too long to the tourist and real estate types.

Jamie,

Thanks. will think about it. Wish the best for you son.

Oh, and here is a link to another right wing rag that lays out the problem with Obama's Israeli policy:

http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/mesh/2009/07/obamas-opening-gambit/

I think that because so many here feel the GOP is a mess, which it is, Dems have little fear of serious problems with Obama's score card and policies. Just look at the situation media hyped in 1978 or even 2002. EVERYTHING comes full circle unless smart thinking takes hold before THE FALL.

Please consider that.......

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244904

CJ

Getting Israel to live up to its committments would be a lot easier if the surrounding nations hadn't violated every agreement they have ever signed. I"m all for a two state solution and hope Israel refuses entry to its territory by anyone in any of the states surrounding them and bombs the hell out of anyone who crosses the line without permission.

Let Hamass and Hezbollah build buildings, provide medical care, and create jobs for the Palestinians just like they should have been doing since 1948 when the UN first created the partition instead of egging on suicide bombers to splatter pieces of Jewish citizens all over their streets.

Last week Strykers fired tow missiles at the enemy. It was a first. MRAP program is having the problems critics warned about. They are pretty useless on Afghanistan terrain and now we have a surplus we can't use.

Jamie,

Just thought about it. That congress critter is doing business as usuall...he wants to stimulate the Hawaiian economy: Thats fine, but whey doesn't he wait for the Stimulus Money to come to him..just like we all have.

Is this a case for the line Item veto. Why is he going to be allowed to put an economic provision on a different kind of bill?

Jamie,

I agree with you. But it is also true that Israel has also failed to live up its international obligations and agreements. That's not justification for rocketing Israel or suicide bombers...but it just is a part of the overall complication in trying to achieve a lasting peace.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244906

Solar,

My son would be more than happy if the Stryker program was totally centered at Fort Lewis, WA. It would make his job a great deal easier. As it is, he has to go to Hawaii, Alaska, Germany, Pennsylvania, and other points where bits and pieces of it are located in the infinite wisdom of the military.

Fortunately, the military sends back the broken ones so he doesn't have to go to the Middle East.

http://www.rr.com/home/home/article/rr/9000/8326082/Irans_Ahmadinejad_criticized_over_VP_choice

This is a riot, isn't it? Nice try Ahmadinejad.......just great.

No G. S. today, they are showing the golf tournament. I won't watch anything that has a nbc on it ,,,so lets see what Juan, is up to on Fox.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244910

Solar,

I agree that the Congress Critter is being greedy. The problem is that the President doesn't have a line item veto and these very expensive Xmas ornaments get hung on every bill passed.

I swear there are times when I think a lottery system that radomly drafted 600 social security numbers would provide a more sensible group of people to Congress than the ones we have.

http://info.org.il/irrelevant/may02-smilepop-soapbox4.swf

Jamie,

Tell your son to wait for ME, I would re-enlist right now.....seeing all of those diff. countries....I don't envy too many things, hardly anthing at all....but traveling around the world ....I do. He will have a lot of Memories, just like my Bro....Spain, Germany......UGHHHH my head is hurting now that I remember him asking my mom...." help I need $" but thats cool. He told me all about it. I did not travel much when I was in the service.

"When all the empty rhetoric has left the house, I think Hillary would have achieved much more so far based on a more rational centrist line. Words are words. They often don't reflect reality."

Max
I of course agree with you regarding Hillary.Its why I supported her so strongly.Hillary is truly what she said a work horse..That said,one of the major reasons during the primary I was so put off by then candidate Obama was this Hope and Change stuff...I was just supposed to listen to his words and except that what he was saying was true without anything to back it up..I myself am trying to be patient.I have thus far not been happy with the President regarding gay issues.He made many promises and yes so far they have just been words...I say lets give the President more time,while holding his feet to the fire.President Obama does have a lot on his plate...

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244917

Solar, He did all that during 20 years in the Army. Now he just wants to come home every night from working for a military contractor

The funny part is that he wanted to do 30 years, but the Army was doing a draw down at the time and pushed him out at 20. Then they wanted him and his skills back after he had been on the outside for ten years. He said no.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244890

Pat
Thanks for the dillo ode,very true see that car/dillo accidents daily..

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/19/opinion/19rich.html?th&emc=th

"They Got Some ’Splainin’ to Do"

"That the class of ’94 failed on almost every count is a matter of history, no matter how hard it has retroactively tried to blame its disastrous record on George W. Bush. Its incompetence may even have been greater than its world-class hypocrisy. Its only memorable achievements were to shut down the government in a fit of pique and to impeach Bill Clinton in a tsunami of moral outrage.

The class of ’94 gave us J.D. Hayworth and Bob Ney of the Jack Abramoff casino-lobbying scandals. Ney, a House committee chairman, did 17 months in jail. It gave us the sexual adventurers Mark Sanford, John Ensign and Mark Foley. (All these distinguished gentlemen voted for articles of impeachment, as did Gingrich, their randy role model.) The class of ’94 also included a black Republican, J. C. Watts, who at least had the integrity to leave Congress in 2003 to become a bona fide lobbyist rather than go on a K Street lobbyist’s payroll while still in public office. He was a fleeting novelty; there’s been no black Republican elected to either chamber of Congress since. Today the G.O.P.’s token black is its party chairman, Michael Steele, who last week unveiled his latest strategy for recruiting minority voters. “My plan is to say, ‘Ya’ll come!’ ” he explained, adding “I got the fried chicken and potato salad!”

Why aren't news people showing medical care in countries with universal systems? Isn't it their job to provide information? Just covering the yammering between Democrats and Republicans leaves the American public at the mercy of whichever side is providing their information. Of course they fall for these Insurance company commercials. They don't know any better.

Media - get off your duffs and go to work providing facts not opinion.

Tony, said.

".I say lets give the President more time,while holding his feet to the fire.President Obama does have a lot on his plate.."

Just like Pres. Johnson before him. Pres Obama has inherited a war....Obama has inherited Iraq, and the other wars in the Pac- areas. Will he do the right thing and bring the troops home....or will he get us into another war that we can't win.

The war is going to spread into all of the countries that surround Afghanistan...and more, we won't be able to afford the mercinaries needed, and no amount.....of them will give us a win over there.. imo. .

Tony,ps..... Prs, Johnson was told that he had two options: Get out and take whatever political cover that he could, or send in more troops....that there would be 1000 dead soldiers per month....there wasn't enough BODY BAGS there were 3000 per month.

In other words .....Johnson could not win either way....but he chose to send troops into V. N. instead of doing the right things.....getting out of V. N. and bring our troops home.....Obama????

"Media - get off your duffs and go to work providing facts not opinion."

jamie, right on! it probably would be eye-opening to see the comparison in number and extent of tv ads by pharmacuetical companies and by health insurance companies in those countries that provide at least barebones care for their citizens.

if a government option is ever established for basic health care, how basic are we talking? no taxpayer $$ for catastrophic care? terminal care? and at what point do we define terminal, year or years to live? how will the limited money be distributed... more to the very young, neonatal, wellness, reproductive, rehabilitative programs?
it's a puzzlement as to whom we cut off, whose lives are termed less important or too expensive to be maintained.

tony, glad the ode spoke to you. wish i could find the one i wrote about the praying mantis that rode on my windshield all the way from tampa to tallahassee one trip. it likewise ended as one would expect. but not as bad as the forever florida squashed massacre of lovebugs.

Pat,

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244923

I second Jamie's post. So far...on a ' news Sunday' I haven't heard any news.... Maybe the F. Z show later on Cnn. Why are they so lazy at doing their jobs? not to just take all of the orders of their station bosses.

Is this why B. Shaw retired?, Woodruf left Cnn?, they let go of that quiet talking guy....can't remember his name now....but he was good..I think....Arron something...

patd

I'm on Medicare. My $93 a month goes to a non profit health care consortium here in Tacoma that has agreed to accept those dollars plus a sliding scale co pay. In addition, I pay a small premium (again sliding scale based on income) for drug coverage.

My whole plan of what is covered and how often is all laid out in a book about two inches thick with all the providers, specialists etc in the system.

My copay is $10 for an office visit and $50 for the emergency room. Most of the drugs are $3 for a thirty day supply. Some fees for partically covered supplies etc. can go as high as $35.

If I wanted I could purchase a supplemental policy that would cover any catastrophic costs not covered by the basic policy. But the basic even with a catastrophic condition has a max of $5,000 in hospital.

"But the basic even with a catastrophic condition has a max of $5,000 in hospital."

what happens when one hits the max? does the plan cover taking the incapacitated back home if she has one, finding a charity nursing home if there's noone to care for the patient, or just wheeling her out the clinic/hospital door and dumping her on the street?

iow, what's that next hard step after the money runs out that the provider takes? are there extenuating circumstances?

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244924
"In other words .....Johnson could not win either way....but he chose to send troops into V. N. instead of doing the right things.....getting out of V. N. and bring our troops home.....Obama????"

Solar
I agree with your comment.I hope Obama brings the troops home and from Afghanistan too..Its a big question because of what he's doing in Afghanistan.I guess we will have to wait and see..Your also correct lives hang in the balance...

"but not as bad as the forever florida squashed massacre of lovebugs."

Oh god Pat so true...It won't be long now and I'll be washing the front of the car daily...

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244932

patd

The same thing that happens with any insurance policy. The gap between basic and when catastrophic kicks in is my responsibility. When I had to go in for a cardioversion, I got hit with a bill for services of about $300. That I had to pay. I got a bill last month for items not covered in my agreed policy for $200. Those are my responsibility. If the charges go over $5,000 in any year, then the catastropic kicks in.and the insurance carrier kicks in again.

It doesn't matter what policy you have, there are conditions. It's just that Medicare does it cheaper and more efficiently with less interference in the actual care. Something the insurance companies really don't want you to know. If Medicare costs could be spread around to healthy families and not just seniors or disabled, then the whole system might be saved.

The majority of costs in the medical system are in the last six months of life. If we are going to ration then cut off treatment there and send them home or to hospice with pain meds as necessary until they go to sleep permanently and that recommendation includes me, but I've already made those arrangements.

Jamie-

.....Bolleros........ this is what Im going to post at your site......for quality of voice...there has never been anyone better than this guy. Song is called ....Love, and Slave.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_VyoE1XCpk&feature=PlayList&p=F215255D7A9422C7&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=7#

This is how I feel around here at TM....when I start singing...watch it all the way. .... That Chloe,,or Carol trying to give me a bath...going to go get my rain coat....and I better put this in here :-)))))))... before I get into more hot water with________, but I did not do anything,,,,,Im innocent over here!!

Silence of the night.

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

patd

The other thing that keeps down costs for my policy is that each of the four clinics has a PA on staff. The RNs triage and refer to the PA if necessary. The PA is backed up by primary care doctors who do one day a week at each of the clinics and either the PA or MD can refer to a specialist group or to the testing facility.

The testing facilities save money because their multi million dollar machines are in constant use. TRA which is the one I go to handles everything from XRays to MRIs and CT scans plus all the mammograms in the area. If you need a inside picture and aren't in the hospital broken, they are the people you go see.

Even the specialists use their RNs and PAs well for all the screening on an office visit. You and your readings usually see the actual doctor for about five minutes unless a red flag pops up and then they get very, very attentive.

The main point is that my out of pocket costs are not beyond what all but the absolutely destitute could pay if only on a monthly basis and I'm sure there would be charities that could help with that. Certainly families wouldn't be going bankrupt and losing homes because of a doctor bill the way it is now.

Solar,

Blogspot blogs usually need coding to post a link. If yours don't show up, I'll make sure they get posted.

Is anyone else having a problem having to sign in every few days?

Solar,

I got them posted for you in the comments

Thanks....it would have taken me a lot longer, and I will stop by and post a little now and then, not to worry, you won't have to erase anything....well not all of it.....well now alway's....wellllllll, no promises, maybe Carol is right, I just love to be a trouble maker. (^_~)

why does'nt obama apply the same logic to health care
as he does the economy' he keeps saying it took us a
long time to get in this economic mess and will take a while to get out''' but they're going to fix health care all with one giant expansive heatlh care bill that no one really understands''' really ?

Jamie you mention PAs and RNs but not NPs. Don't leave NPs out. A Physician's assistant and a nurse practitioner are not the same. Also a registered nurse and a nurse practitioner aren't the same even though a nurse practitioner must be a registered nurse also.

Just wanted to clarify that because you make no mention of NPs. I think that is because you group us in with PAs and we don't like to be called PAs. Since I'm an NP, I'm a little sensitive to that, OK.

A physician's assistant must practice under the supervision of a physician but a nurse practitioner is more independent. In the state of Washington, a nurse practitioner is independent of a physician.

CT

Didn't mean to overlook you. I was using RN as a universal designation. In fact I think most of the nurses at the cardiologists are NPs.

I honestly don't know all the ins and outs of the WA system except that it is very efficient, provides excellent care, and I really, really like it.

as CT suggested earlier health care is such a large
complicated issue maybe it should be improved incrementally '' repair and modernize the current
medicaid and medicare system first '' work on cutting out the abuse ''waste and fraud'' make it more responsive to people'' computerize and centralize the
whole system to eliminate overlapping beauracracy''
do the things you can do now and build upon that success

Ha! I'm having a fight with a right winger on Twitter. Fun and games.

mqw

If we were going to go the incremental way, I would simply open the doors of Medicare to everyone. Premiums would be on a sliding scale based on income and through any non profit consortium that accepts Medicare.

There are darn few who would not be able to pay or whose employers couldn't pay those reasonable premiums.

It would provide a flow of REAL dollars into Medicare instead of phony SS dollars that have already been stolen by Congress for the general fund.

jamie
sounds reasonable to me ' maybe you should send
obama a memo

How to become a scientist with lots of help from the LOL Cats and a bunch of cartoons. Long but actually useful

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

Good article on the lack of critical thinking

http://www.livescience.com/culture/090716-critical-thinking.html

Off to start a brisket

Mendoza, 65, a third-generation dairyman, sold his 489 dairy cows three weeks ago as part of a national program that seeks to ease what many are calling the worst milk crisis in 70 years.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090718/ARTICLES/907189949/1349?Title=Dairies-dire-straits

This story is very disturbing on a number of levels.

Clinton and India's Ramesh clash on Environment

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/19/AR2009071900705.html?nav=rss_email/components

Tough questions for today's "journalists"

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/07/18/cronkite/index.html

Solar,

Thanks for the comments and additional curse. Anyone with a open id that they use to post here can also use that on blogger sites just by putting the dot in the appropriate box.

KGC,

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244951

That is what has been happening to me, and other contractors....we did not sell cows, but I have sold two construction machines in order to stay alive. Things better get better fast....for a lot of people.

Jamie,

I left a comment on your new thread. Looks like that one will be a lot of fun. I was trying to navigate out of there and somehow....it double posted...sorry about that.

Solar,

Not a problem. It happens all the time. Better three than none. :-)

In stark contrast to the plight of the dairy farmer---

There is Wall Street's Goldman Sachs----
showing little gratitude to the American taxpayer that kept them from imploding just a few months ago, now arguing with Treasury about how much it should pay taxpayers to buy back the stock purchase warrants it gave the government as part of the TARP deal.

"Goldman Sachs bites Uncle Sam's hand"

http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/17/news/companies/goldman_sachs_tarp_ingratitude.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2009071710

First right wing post I've seen that had a really good idea

"China & Mexico're biggest long-term threats-Invest in Mexico & buy the output-Don't buy from China '

Since the products are going to be in our stores any way, if you can't afford to buy American at least keep the money in this hemisphere where it is likely to do some good.

Sunday afternoon. Time for being lazy in the sunshine music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne6ufKH7-s0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VME2TirLM9E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VolRRTEQ2F8

Joe, it is my opinion and an opinion growing in more than the "far right Jewish community" that Obama's Israel policy is pretty bad. So let's say Israell adds 20 apartments to East Jerusalem, a situation that Netanyahu would consider trading Israeli land for. Are you comparing that to the other side of the equation? That is what we are talking about, yes?

On the otherside of Israeli expansion is the fact foreign jihadists have entered the Gaza and the West Bank. I also didn't see you defend the fact that more than a million Muslims are Israeli citizens. Are you saying Jews will not be able to live in a future Palestinian State? Or do you condone the kicking out of Jews from the vast amjority of the 57 Muslim countries of the world where they traditionally live as second class citizens for more than a century? The real history of course is that for the better part of the last 1400 years the only way Jews lived in Muslim states were as servants or second class citizens. Now let me hear you applaud the fact that Israel does not do that to their Muslim citizens.

So the settlement issue is at least complex and with that singular issue do you really think only "right wing" Jews protest making such an issue the reason to ignore Obama demanding Israel turn the West Bank over to either Fatah or Hamas who recently told the press "peace" is just a way to get international support now, is unfair?. Peace is not something either Hamas or Fatah leadership actual believes in. Let us be honest Joe, can we? There is no rational partner for peace Israel can sit down and talk to, yet Obama wants peace negotiated fast, like he wants is Healthcare Bill passed FAST.

And then the absurdity of thinking any peace can be achieved without breaking the hold by Iran on Hamas and HIzb"Allah, who by the way, just accidently blew up their own weapon depot (one of more than two dozen) built under the UN who's job it is to prevent such arms being stockpiled on Israel's border. The audacity of tthis administration to link even our standing up to Iran until Israel meets Obama's demand is historic. Today Netanyahu is palying Obama's bluff, but even his policy as Iran prepares a nuclear bomb test site is strange. Strange beget strange it seems.

I do resent your attempt to characterize objections by American Jews towards Obama as right wing inspired. It is just another form of race baiting used against Hillary when she objected to some of Obama's policies. It is a line of attack Obama's people have used for the last year. Frankly, it is quite pathetic and will lead to real trouble. FA and Harvard are certainly not bastions of Far Right Jews. New Republic and Slate are not either.

Obama issues what demands to Fatah or Hamas? Obama wants Israel to negotiate with people who actually fired on Egyptian soldiers and has a charter for the distruction of Israel? Egypt can't even bring these players together.

So tell me again in your own words why Obama's policies towards Israel should be acceptable to the majority of Jewish Americans. Why doesn't the US negotiate with AQ? I am not a right wing Jew and I have serious problems with Obama's approach. He even insulted the Likud Party prior to the person he had to deal with became President of Israel. Now that was smart seeing he didn't insult Ahmadinejad before the recent election in Iran. Obama characterized those Jews that had differences with him as Likud-minded. You seem to suggest the same mentality.

Do you think Israel deserves ANY compensation for 60 years of blood and treasure being attacked by Arabs who characterize themselves as victims? Israel should have been a caretaker of captured land fearing to ever enter land they had been in before the war of Independence? While I do not agree with Israel's entire settlement strategy or the Greater Israel line, it is beyond reason to push such "problems" forward as the great equalizer to the contempt and duplicity Israel's enemy have toward's Israel. Oranges and apples Joe and I think you know it. Perhaps you haven't been listening, but militants have rejected Obama's Cairo speech and some more moderate Muslims have even taken sides with Israel.

Max,

We are on the same side on this one. I'm really sick of the constant UN nag nag nag at Israel without one peep at the Arab countries.

The ONE AND ONLY reason the Palestinians have been sitting in a no man's land for 60 years is because the surrounding Arabs demanded that they leave Israel in 1948 and then totally failed to help develop that side of the partition while constantly invading Israel time after time. They have been used as pawns and terrorists while the country they left is a Democratic, modern nation where they could still be living if they hadn't believed the lies just as all the Arabs who stayed have found.

No Israel isn't perfect and there have been shameful acts done on all sides, but it's time for the surrounding countries to realize that it is time to STOP the nonsense and actually accept that Israel is permanent and live with it.

Hillary is in India where she took a rather tough line. Indians don't forge that Muslims slaughtered more than 80 million HIndus since Jesus was born. The Pkaistanis created the modern jihadists to compensate for smaller numbers of troops and weapons turning Kashmir into a battle ground.

I think she should go to ISrael and try to turn some minds. Only 6% of Israel think Obama is a friend to Israel. Obama has created a situation in which military options are MORE likely, not less. Only HIllary has any credibility at the moment and I implore her not to lose it. Sure she can remind leaders in Israel what Bill and Barak had worked out, but she can call the world to see that Fatah and Hamas have not changed their strips and that Iran IS rushing towards the bomb.

If she does not take more control of Obama's free falling foregn policy, all credibility will be lost. It is a tough task and Hillary is about the only Democrat capable of doing it.

We shall see. I hope she has serious personal security. Knock her off and there is no one left in the administration with balls. How ironic, isn't it?

Here's the truth behind our "health care" situation. When I had insurance I went to an ER ONE TIME -- with what turned out to be a broken shoulder. ONE time in years. They kept me there three or so hours. I got one x-ray and saw one doctor. In the end here is what happened: I was charged over $1500 for several doctors....all I got in return was a sling and one -- yes ONE pain pill -- and the news that they could do nothing for a broken shoulder. Oh -- and then they discovered something else...and cancelled my insurance.

People keep talking about all these folks getting free care at the ER -- PUH-Leeze! They tracked me down and demanded payments in days! And that's after I paid $500 right on the spot. WHO is getting away for free? Not me!

Oh -- and yes -- I friggin' paid the bill.

Kudos Jamie......we pro-Israel Libs aren't dupes or right wingers nor do we like Netanyahu or support expansion. We have seen this before from the Obama side, but perhaps with Hillary as SECSTATE, Obama will change his tune.

The media is pathetic in their coverage as well as the bullshit from self-loathing Jews, the tactics of idiot advisors to the President and the Leftist Wing in the Democratic Party that has as much realism and principle as wing nuts on the Far Right.

By the way Bruno was hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing, but don't bring your kids. The Bruno attmept to bring peace to the Middle East was great.

Jamie, I would be worried about what will happen to Medicare/Medicaid. When rationing comes (see the wait in Mass, now), government will pick younger people first. And if that isn't the case, why won't Obama spend a month of town meetings and vetted TV coverage going through that 1000 page plus Bill?

Why? Because the more he vets, the more questions. If there is nothing to hide and he has the majority, what is the problem? It LOOKS like he's trying to pull a fast one like the second stimulus bill. It is simply terrible PR as is his daily cries of vague BS trying to scare and bully it through.

Max,

I carefully read your post and would note that I didn't say ANY of the things you are so upset about. I only made two rather inarguable points: a) Not everyone agrees with you, and they are entitled to their p.o.v. as well, and b) the situation is not helped by the failure of Israel to meet its obligations as well, as has happened.

In no way to I draw this as moral equivalence, by the way.

"If she does not take more control of Obama's free falling foregn policy, all credibility will be lost. It is a tough task and Hillary is about the only Democrat capable of doing it.

We shall see. I hope she has serious personal security. Knock her off and there is no one left in the administration with balls. How ironic, isn't it?"

Max
How ironic indeed! Your putting a lot on Hillary's shoulders but after reading some of the links you posted regarding Obama's popularity within Israel I guess I understand.Your comment made me start thinking of Hillary's safety.I hope nothing ever happens to her...I don't like thinking about it...

Patsi,

"Oh -- and yes -- I friggin' paid the bill."

Should have read I paid the friggin bill :-)

As far as health care reform---an issue that seems to
have no really adequate solution.

"Why we must ration Health Care"

(NYT Sunday Magazine by Peter Singer)--a utilitarian
philosopher's argument for placing a dollar value on
human life.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/19/magazine/19healthcare-t.html?ref=magazine

"Should have read I paid the friggin bill :-)"

HA! Yes -- you are so right, Rez!

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244967

Max,

Do you think for a second that "rationing" doesn't exist now? Insurance companies ration constantly with covered and uncovered procedures. You get what you pay for. If you get more than is covered, you might get treated, but you pay through the nose.

It is time that tax money went back to the people not to the corporations and big business paying the politicians campaign funds.

All in all, the American public doesn't ask for much. We want a job that will pay for food and put a roof over our heads, decent schooling, relatively safe neighborhoods and we want medical care when we are sick or injured. All things considered when the fat cats are raking in the dough hand over fist, that isn't a whole hell of a lot. It is time the politicians woke up because right now this country is going down the drain fast.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244967

Max,

I don't know about MA waiting times. I can only judge by my non profit services here in WA. Maybe MA needs to take lessons.

Now Frank McCourt has died. They just keep falling....

Max, We alway's look the other way when Israel does something wrong.....even when they bomb the USS Liberty. Why are you so mad at Obama...Afraid that he just might accomplish peace?

U.S.-made weapons have been used to commit war crimes by the Israelis in 1982, 2006, and, most recently in Gaza in January. In 1982, the United States did suspend the sale of cluster weapons to Israel when it was determined that they had been used against Lebanese and Palestinian civilians in violation of the conditions of sale. In 2006 and 2009, the United States not only looked the other way when cluster and white phosphorus weapons were used, it also empowered the Israelis by permitting the fighting to continue and providing political cover for the crimes that were being committed. After the fact,

Washington intervened at the UN to stop any condemnation of Israeli crimes, and it has refused to consider any reports by investigative bodies that have attempted to document the Israeli actions. Most recently, the U.S. has described a UN report on atrocities committed in Gaza "biased."

many countries have engaged in war crimes in the past 50 years, but Israel has done so repeatedly as a policy of intimidation, using American weapons and political cover to carry out the crimes. Israel’s war crimes have damaged America’s reputation all around the world.

When Israel acts badly, the rest of the world sees Washington behind it, sometimes obscenely so, as when then secretary of state Condoleezza Rice described the "birth pangs of a new Middle East" after Israel devastated Lebanon in July 2006. It is the Muslim world’s perception that Israel can do anything to Arabs and never be rebuked by the U.S.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244976

Damn! Mpw Frank McCourt is one I will really, really miss.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/books-obituaries/5867097/Frank-McCourt.html

Nothing more that I can say after this,,,there is lot more but....

In 1967, Israel attacked the USS Liberty in international waters, killing 34 American sailors and Marines, apparently because it believed that the Liberty had intercepted orders by the Israeli government to execute thousands of Egyptian prisoners captured in Sinai. In 1982, Israel used cluster weapons on Lebanese and Palestinian civilians and its army officers stood by while its Phalangist allies killed thousands of Palestinians in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps.

Journalists and the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz have provided other accounts of crimes against civilians, including the refusal to allow ambulances to pass checkpoints to assist the wounded, the killing of 16 ambulance workers and doctors trying to help the injured, the shelling of hospitals and clinics, and the use of Palestinian children as human shields.

All such actions are violations of the Geneva Conventions. Israel also used drones to target and kill civilians and shot down women and children advancing under cover of a white flag. A tank fired into an apartment building, killing the three daughters of a Palestinian physician, with an IDF board of inquiry subsequently finding the deaths "reasonable."

Israeli soldiers have provided separate accounts of a sniper who shot a mother and her two children and another who killed an old woman. One soldier said the rules of engagement had changed, that if they saw an Arab walking down the road, they could "just shoot him." Another squad leader said his soldiers understood that "we should kill everyone there.....

Everyone there is a terrorist." Another soldier said that anyone who had not fled was considered a viable target, ignoring the fact that there was nowhere to flee to.

Very religious they are......

The Israeli media has reported that extremist rabbis told soldiers heading into Gaza that they were fighting a holy war and should be prepared to expel all non-Jews.

More religion at play when.......

One brigadier general rabbi issued "a rabbinical edict against showing the enemy mercy." Some army units raised among settlers on the West Bank are reported to be made up of extremists and led by hard-line rabbis who call for the establishment of a Greater Israel by getting rid of all the Arabs.

"Israel has done so repeatedly as a policy of intimidation, using American weapons and political cover to carry out the crimes"

Solar,

Excuse me but Bull Pucky

Jamie, The Israeli news paper Haraetz reports these things all the time.....not me....they said that...

Israeli human rights group...... described the “disgraceful” treatment of some of the detainees held .

The group reported that the Israeli military kept the detainees in ditches, handcuffed and blindfolded, with no access to food, water or restroom facilities. The detainees were subjected to violent interrogations by Shin Bet, and their families were threatened. Many ......were..... being held with no access to their lawyers......We have learned many things from them.

They say that the Cheney hit squad was copied from the Israeli hit squads??

The Israeli government has declined to cooperate in any way with the probe, and abandoned its own probe despite several Israeli soldiers making serious accusations: The official position is that the military acted appropriately and even admirably in the war and the killing of hundreds of Palestinian civilians..... All the human rights group reports which have accused them of war crimes have been condemned as unfair.

A CBob type event

Possible asteroid impact on Jupiter

http://spaceweather.com/

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun

By Jeffrey Heller in Jerusalem

July 20, 2009 06:33am

And this

Israel Rejects US Call, Will Expand East Jerusalem Settlement

Tensions between the Obama Administration and Israel’s government continued to grow today as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that a planned expansion to an East Jerusalem settlement would continue. The US had previously summon Israel’s ambassador to urge them to halt the construction of 20 apartments in the occupied territory.

Israeli officials went on to mock the call, which Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman described as odd. Lieberman insisted that since the US had never criticized the construction of Arab homes in the city, it was inappropriate to criticize government construction of homes in the settlement. Netanyahu declared that since Jerusalem was, in his government’s view, the “united capital” of Israel, and said they could never accept the US “edict.”

President Obama’s plan for an independent, albeit severely restricted, Palestinian state was to have a capital in East Jerusalem. Presumably the expansion of settlements in what he envisioned as the Palestinian capital city explains the president’s objection.

East Jerusalem was occupied by the Israeli military in 1967 and in 1980 passed a law declaring that it would remain united under Israeli control. Its sovereignty over East Jerusalem is not generally recognized by the international community.

Solar,

In 1948 Ben Gurion begged the Arabs living in the area granted to Israel to stay in their homes. The Grand Mufti with the Nazis who were his guests and with whom he had sided in WW II demanded that they leave or be killed. They left.

The Palestinians were stranded in no man's land when the Israelis actually won that war. Even since the Israelis have been invaded, bombed and attacked while surrounded by enemies sworn to their destruction with multiple attemps at invasion.

As far as I'm concerned. The Arabs can stay on their side of the line and control their fringe idiots for the next decade as an act of good faith.

If a single Arab drobs anything on a single Israeli before 2019 ef em

Ok......done, I appologize for the intensity.

I live in MA and have never heard of wait times. They did cut out the legal aliens and am glad that they did.

Jamie,

"The Palestinians were stranded in no man's land when the Israelis actually won that war. Even since the Israelis have been invaded, bombed and attacked while surrounded by enemies sworn to their destruction with multiple attemps at invasion.

As far as I'm concerned. The Arabs can stay on their side of the line and control their fringe idiots for the next decade as an act of good faith.

If a single Arab drobs anything on a single Israeli before 2019 ef em"

Jamie,

All I can say...is that....Settler Colonialism was not right here in the U.S., and is not right....by what the Israeli's are doing to the Palestinians.....Pretty soon....check that, they are all ready being called Illegals. They want all of their land ...for the water of the Litani river and for the lands that they need because the greedy politician-farm owner won't share their water with the civillians....they use most of it.

Right. I'm back again. At the beginning of the week our daughter and granddaughter arrived from Korea. On Thursday morning, we went for sight-seeing in DC and environs.

Golly, that place is crowded, and not in a nice way. This evening Stinky and I looked at photos we took there in '65 before I went to Vietnam. In those pictures, there were absolutely no mob scenes in any of the snaps. I took one of her standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and she was the only one there. Of course, that time we were there during the school year so that's in mitigation.

I continue to enjoy Mount Vernon. And, the exhibits are quite nice, too. Stinky continues having her fascination with George Washington's 'car'. The room I liked the best was his study--it was totally my kind of room.

I walked the Wall for the first time. I didn't like the concept of it when it was built--I always thought it was built for those people who wanted the names to flash, "Look at what you've done!" My kind of message would be, "Look at what you tried to do and how it's worked out over the years."

Relations with 'elements' of my family are still barely civil even after so many years have passed.

Absolutely the most moving commemoration was that of the nurses tending our wounded. I've seen these marvelous ladies in action. Words can't adequately describe the compassion they have for our wounded, along with the toll it takes on them.

But, the statue does a magnificent job of capturing all their emotions. I couldn't help but lay my hands on the women's arms and shoulders, and even a cheek, in an effort to comfort them.

I was shocked by the blatant displays of corporate lobbying excess. Back when I worked with the Army on combat development strategies, they sent us to Ft Leavenworth, a wonderful old place in (sorry Jack!) the middle of nowhere so that we wouldn't be distracted by Washington happenings. They had the right idea.

Tomorrow's a day of rest. Tuesday, I do Remicade followed by another rest day--and then Thursday we are off to visit friends in the Oil City region of Pennsylvania.

We put 1153 miles on our ancient Suzuki Sidekick this time. And, We'll probably do a few more than that this week. I do keep my AAA card fully charged. :)

Now, it's off to bed. I'm sorry, I just don't have the energy to go back through the old comments. So, if I miss acknowledging a moment of grief, or joy, for one of our fellow TM'ers, you have my sincere apology.

Oh, before I leave, one last thought.

Microsoft now has its new Bing browser working for things like smart cellphones. It's really a killer product for mobile apps. The mapping helped me considerably. I urge those with smart phones to give it a try.

I have a stupid phone..........not much help to me, probably.....

a different jackson does one of the early 60's killer bar songs...........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41llF7D80ic

Sturge- do you use a Pawleys Island hammock? Mine finally went to the dump after many blissful years. Kept longer than any of my husbands. Anyways I was looking for a new one today- noticed they have lots of different kinds now. Mine was the original cotton rope. Any recommendations?.

"I have a stupid phone....."

I've got a smart fun, but I'm stupid...... man, you just can't win.

Flatus, It's nice to know you weren't just goofing off. We missed you!

Patd, That ode is marvelous. I'm not sure I want to know what prompted you to write it, tho. I hate those poor things.

Carol, I am in total agreement with you re going slowly with the health care reform. I've said this many times and will again. Things that happen fast are rife with mistakes. One sweeping overhaul will exponentially increase the problems, and, if you think congress is slow to act now, wait till you see what they'll do when they need to fix things. Each problem now will become three new ones because the mess now is so big not any one person can oversee it, and when the mess is even bigger, it will be too big to fix, like our economy.

Try this for a metaphor. Time and time again slums have been fixed by building new housing - HA! All that was created was new slums. You can't get rid of slums overnight, in one fell swoop. You have to start with one aspect of the problem, be it employment, education, whatever. Certain factors need to be put in place. D Day didn't end the war - the war continued for almost a full year .

The EU didn't just suddenly name the euro as the new currency. Try to imagine telling the Brits overnight to drive on the right side of the road. Didn't some country make that change? Sweden? What a monumental task. I understand the patience and think everybody's suggestions are great, but once again, that old standard comes to mind to be careful what you wish for.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/07/from-the-ballot-box-to-the-bul.html#comment-244987

Solar,

I am in favor of a pull back to the 1948 partition lines as long as there is a no man's land that no one from the surrounding countries can cross wihtout permission.

As far as the Litani River is concerned, well heidy ho welcome to the 21st century water wars. They are going to make the oil wars look like tiddly winks.

Right now the severity is hitting in the Gobi, the middle east, and desert encroachment on northern Africa

The strains are starting to show all over US and its going to go way way down hill from here.

IN fairly short order, we are all going to be building CBob's rain reclamation doohicky in self defense.

Watching Apollo !# with the actual Cronkite news bits that were intercut into the movie.

O'Sea......I happen to have one because i salvaged it, but have never had a hammock before that.......all i know is the brand name "pawley's island hammock".......there used to be stores on hwy 17 near pawley's island where the locals did the roping but I dont know what they're all about now........

Sea

http://www.hammockshop.com/

Jamie, I don't know what the answers are....just wish that we did not kill one another,,since all we are doing is killing our selves. I am unabashedly spiritual in that sense. We are all the same pieces of space junk....stars that deserve to shine.

I would be different if the fucking chicken shit people that send our troops to war ( Cheney etl) would be in the front ranks,,,and their family members. I will give that to the dictators of the world....at least hey have the balls to lead the charge.

The ideal democratic state. Are the hallmarks-that- are freedom of speech.

"Let every man think what he wants, and say what he thinks.

The Separation of church and state, and a generous social contract that promotes the well-being of citizens and the harmony of government."

Out of the many-many people that I call hero's this was written by the one that I revere the most.....over one hundred years before the Declaration of Independence, and the First Amendment

A Jewish fellow named.....Bento...Baruch...Benedictus....Spinoza.

Yes Patsi, those of us who can pay or have a couple of nickles to rub together will not abuse the ER because they would take everything we have. It's those who have nothing and nothing to lose who abuse the ER and they do have other options. They can get free health care. A person has to be dirt poor to get health care. People who work for a living but can't afford insurance are the ones suffering.

Even most of us with insurance wouldn't abuse ER because our insurance just doesn't cover enough. My unfortunate accident ER visit cost me a fortune even with my insurance. I didn't realize until then just how horrible my insurance was. It is a State Group policy.

"I've got a smart fun, but I'm stupid...... man, you just can't win."

Thats not true...I told U -U-R-brilliant, and not being a smart____.you know. Sunday ....did you give my hoss an apple....hey where is my--pic of that?

If you don't pay the bill and you have any money they will get it, even if they have to put a lean on your house. I know a lawyer who works to collect money for the hospital.

I resent those bills so much that I pay really slow but then I don't care if it kills my credit rating because there is nothing left I need credit for anymore. At least I hope not.

Don 1

Car 54 where are you. Your turn, Im all done.

I had such a hard day of fishing that I don't think I could climb back up the stairs if I had to go down one more time. Whew!.

Some friends came over and I took them out on the pontoon boat to fish. I had to rig up their rods, cast them so they wouldn't snag a tree and then worm the hooks. This guide service whipped me pretty good. I think I like my quiet little fishing by myself better.

Pic of my fishing by myself spot. Well not totally alone, the Magster is also there.

http://i656.photobucket.com/albums/uu286/cithorn/100_0313.jpg

Guitar Beethovan:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppl33Z3l5BU

Jamie,

"IN fairly short order, we are all going to be building CBob's rain reclamation doohicky in self defense."

I have already built a few. One for a tree cutting contractor. I put three 50 gal. containers; one higher than the other. They capture the rain water, he uses it around his yard,,and has machines that can empty one from the other. good night and thanks.

The main principle is call the French drain system, where one fill the other as soon as it gets filled...and so forth...kinda easy. M aybe I will do one here at my house?

Tomorrow on Discovery 9 or 10 pm. They are going to show "When we left Earth.....about the moon landing,,,,should be great!

Sorry for the short message, the other day.

Cabin fever in July here, off the boards for a few more days.

Details later.

Larry, and I took " The Maria Telkes " to 415 degrees today @ 2 PM.
Baking corn bread in it daily now, and boiling stews.
Made several tweeks to her, and gained 110 degrees from the first day's temps. of 305. This thing really rocks and rolls. Still have maybe another 75 or 80 degrees to squeeze out of her. I think I know how & where to get it.

In 1959, Maria Telkes designed and built a solar oven that achieved 437 degrees F.
We may beat that number tomorrow.
We're making hot dogs, among other things,

Keep an eye on the wing nuts for me,

PS -

Maria laughs at bags of $ 9.95 charcoal .

Cbob,

You get Maria to hold a good 450-500 degrees for a short while and it'll be perfect for a good sized standing rib roast on labor day. Yum.

cbob, is tugboat annie still available? and will she be able to tow the maria telkes to bw's whole enchilada fiesta?

'tis a sad day

"Pulitzer Prize Winner Frank McCourt Has Died. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam(May He Rest In Peace)"
[the daily kos]

"danny boy" james galway

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGq4kXgeoCg

Bethy, re: 10:05 comment, you are so right.

I'm jealous Flatus of all your traveling. Need to share more of the things you are doing and seeing so I can enjoy vicariously. I did miss you being around.

I was thinking, these countries that have socialized medicine don't pay the huge amount for their drugs like we do, do they? We here, pretty much finance all the R&D and marketing for the drug companies. That is probably one big reason why our health care is so expensive.

friend of mine had blood work done.......they sent him a bill for $600...........he calls them back and says he's paying for this himself, no insurance.........they say fine, the bill is $256. That's how it works, what does it mean?

"...what does it mean? "

Sturg, it means he still got screwed. Medicare reimburses $16.01 for my every-other-month panel of tests.

Single-payer is the only satisfactory answer.

It means that those of us who have insurance and a few dollars are already financing those who do not. We have been doing it for a long time. Except many of the providers I needed for my surgery didn't even accept my insurance so I had to pay it all myself and I didn't get any breaks. They'll get it from you if they think they can.

And the fraud that goes on at the level of the physician. They pretend they are going to do a cheaper more conservative procedure to see if that will work, it doesn't and couldn't have so then they have to go back and do the more expensive procedure they should have done in the first place. I have a friend who is going through that. It's happening all the time and I have watched it for years.

I tried to tell my friend she was being duped but noooo, her brilliant ortho told her so it must be true. Hah. And of course she ended up with a lot more time off from a job she hated anyway. That was the trade off. There are a lot of things we can and should fix before jumping into a major overhaul. A lot of things.

Thanks, Carol. I can understand the manufacturers trying to extend patent protection, etc., for their drugs. And, I can understand their lobbying efforts. Greed is a tremendous motivator.

But here's one that still has me scratching my head. Directly across from the Wall right on Constitution Ave is an imposing building. I was lucky enough to find a parking space in the alley leading to its parking garage.

The sign on the building said American Association of _Pharmacists_. What reasonable interest would said organization have for establishing a lobbying presence in DC?

The only thing I could think of would be promotion of legislation increasing the hurdles for entering the pharmacy profession. Fewer pharmacists = higher wages for those in the profession. But, still...

You ought to see the gorgeous office/surgical complex that ortho group just built. Plasma TVs all over the place. That shoulda been a clue.

My friend, the dentist, told me how docs insured. He would establish a relationship with a physician, he gave ob-gyn as his example. The ob-gyn would take care of the ladies in his family while Ed would take care of that doc's family's dental needs. Gratis. He had similar arrangements with other specialties.

I went to that fine ortho group five years ago when I cracked my pelvis in four places. Because of my osteoporosis they couldn't even figure that out. I had to tell them to get a bone scan which they finally did and my ass glowed like a Christmas tree. Then they charged my insurance over $3000 for cast care. I had only one x-ray there and NO cast on my ass. I never even went back for a follow up visit.

I can't afford to complain too loudly since I have to work in this industry down here.

And fortunately I work in an area where it is cool to keep costs down. I can do it without compromising quality. Actually I think the quality is far superior.

Carol, here in SC we're at 12.1-pct unemployment. The people who haven't traditionally used free clinics or the emergency rooms for their primary care are simply going without docs.

You can see these people walking up and down the aisles of any large store's drug section looking for something that might ease their symptoms.