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Tuesday Night Open Thread

By Jeralyn, Section Blog Related
Posted on Tue Nov 17, 2015 at 07:30:38 PM EST
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Time for a new open thread, all topics welcome.

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    Tuesday Night Open Thread | 203 comments (203 topical)
    You know what I think? (5.00 / 1) (#8)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Nov 17, 2015 at 10:28:43 PM EST
    I think we need to lighten the mood with some tasty tunes:
    Please feel free to add some favorite tunes of your own, as you like or see fit.

    Aloha.

    Great Idea (5.00 / 1) (#43)
    by CST on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 09:46:37 AM EST
    I'm pretty certain it's impossible to listen to Superstitious (Stevie Wonder)and stay in a bad mood.  I challenge anyone to listen to that while walking and not get a pep in their step.

    My favorite karaoke song that I've never done in public is Long as I can See the Light (Creedence), because singing it is cathartic no matter what you're feeling.

    The greatest, cheesiest German pop song your heart could ever desire that you never knew was missing from your life is Isch Liebe Disch (Tic Tac Toe)

    Probably my favorite song (but let's face it, no one else's here) would be God's Bathroom Floor (Atmosphere)

    Finally, because he didn't know it, but he dedicated it to me, and it always feels relevant Keep Your Head Up (Tupac)

    Parent

    I Will Add... (5.00 / 1) (#57)
    by ScottW714 on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 11:59:22 AM EST
    ...the best song I think is out there right now.

    Mercy

    Show me mercy
    From the powers that be
    Show me mercy
    From the gutless and mean
    Show me mercy
    From the killing machines
    Show me mercy
    Can someone rescue me

    Not sure that is going to lighten any moods, so here is the funniest Christmas song ever written, Father Christmas.

    Father Christmas, give us some money
    Don't mess around with those silly toys.
    We'll beat you up if you don't hand it over
    We want your bread so don't make us annoyed
    Give all the toys to the little rich boys

    FYI, 36 days to Christmas.

    Parent

    When I realize how close it is, I have to (5.00 / 3) (#61)
    by Anne on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 12:41:41 PM EST
    work not to hyperventilate...so much going on:

    Thanksgiving - at my house, for 11 people; I'm off all next week, so plenty of prep time, but there's a lot to do.

    Dec. 6 - grandson's 3rd birthday party

    Dec. 12 or 13th - taking my daughter out to lunch with her sister and some friends in lieu of a baby shower, since she had one of those with her first, and it's kind of tacky to have one with the second (unless it's a different gender, or it's been a lot of years between them)

    Dec. 25 - Christmas (planning to do a lot of online shopping so we hope there are actual presents to be opened!

    Dec. 28 - due date for my daugher's 2nd baby - we're hoping he doesn't arrive on or right around Christmas, but kind of out of our control.  Trying to come up with plans for what to do with 3 yr old when mom and dad have to go have the baby.

    I still have about a week's vacation to use or lose before the end of the year, and I am crazy-busy at work.  

    One day, one project at a time.  I should be working, not writing this, but sometimes I just have to do something to bleed off some of the stress.  Waiting for a client to call so I can go meet him in the alley behind the building to sign some estate tax returns...my life is just so glamorous!

    Parent

    Deep breaths, Anne (5.00 / 2) (#103)
    by Zorba on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 07:29:06 PM EST
    It will all work out, and celebrate the impending birth of another grandchild.
    Namaste.

    Parent
    i did not know this (5.00 / 1) (#109)
    by The Addams Family on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 09:16:49 PM EST
    about baby showers:

    . . . it's kind of tacky to have one with the second (unless it's a different gender, or it's been a lot of years between them)

    thanks for the update on social Q's

    congratulations, Anne!

    Parent

    Thanks, Addams Family! (5.00 / 2) (#112)
    by Anne on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 09:35:02 PM EST
    It's an exciting time, for so many reasons.

    Re: baby shower etiquette, it is apparently okay now to have a shower for the second baby (or third or fourth, I guess), but it just feels not quite right (the only thing I could compare it to would be having showers for a second marriage).  

    So, my younger daughter and I decided that we'd do a low-key lunch out with a small group, we'll be giving her some things they do need, but it'll mostly be about giving her a relaxing afternoon before the joys and challenges of having two kids gets underway!

    Parent

    makes perfect sense (none / 0) (#114)
    by The Addams Family on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 10:34:08 PM EST
    when i think about it

    the big-ticket items (crib, stroller) will have been gifts at the first shower, & by the time the second child arrives, mom will have plenty of hand-me-down clothes if the new baby is of the same gender, or enough mom friends with kids of the other gender to ensure a supply of hand-me-over fashions

    your approach sounds like just the thing

    Parent

    baby shower etiquette (none / 0) (#188)
    by Amiss on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 12:39:45 PM EST
    I was raised that was the "proper" form for baby showers as well. As far as being proper for second
    child on, it "sounds" more reasonable to me for a shower for "firsts", just as with weddings.

    Parent
    Merry Christmas scott... (none / 0) (#59)
    by fishcamp on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 12:30:01 PM EST


    Parent
    Speaking of good Muslims..and music (none / 0) (#60)
    by jondee on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 12:34:07 PM EST
    Have some Hafiz:

    "I like musicians and will offer freely to their  hat.

    Wise the beggar who can get a coin from my purse,

    for it will multiply and turn into emerald worlds."

     

    Parent

    good idea, Donald (none / 0) (#22)
    by The Addams Family on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 03:10:28 AM EST
  • "I'm Blue" - The Ikettes
  • "Lowdown" - Boz Scaggs
  • Animal Magic (full album) - Bonobo
  • "Blasé" - Archie Shepp (tenor sax), Jeanne Lee (vocal)
  • "Autumn in New York" - Jonathan & Darlene Edwards (for all you jaded roués & gay divorcées)



    • Parent
    Jonathan and Darlene Edwards! (5.00 / 1) (#65)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 01:06:10 PM EST
    While I'm neither a jaded roué nor gay divorcée (or is that "divorcé" in my case?), I'm a big aficionado of the Edwards' repertoire. I'll throw in my favorite from Darlene's more conventional alter ego, the incomparable Jo Stafford, "I'll Be Seeing You," which became a huge hit for obvious reasons during the Second World War.

    Parent
    Blind Willie Johnson (none / 0) (#29)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 07:25:40 AM EST
    Keep Your Lamps Trimmed And Burning

    Hot Tuna cover

    Parent

    OK, then... (none / 0) (#91)
    by desertswine on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 05:47:57 PM EST
    the Airlettes.

    Parent
    Not a mood lightener... (none / 0) (#51)
    by kdog on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 11:07:16 AM EST
    but most poignant...the great Willie Nile, "Cell Phones Ringing (In The Pockets of the Dead)"


    Parent
    Crusades 2.0 (5.00 / 7) (#13)
    by MO Blue on Tue Nov 17, 2015 at 11:14:34 PM EST
    ISIL will love this. A great recruiting tool for them.

    Ohio Gov. John Kasich is proposing a new federal agency to spread Judeo-Christian values throughout the world as a way to combat the Islamic State.

    "We need to beam messages around the world about what it means to have a Western ethic, to be a part of a Christian-Judeo society," Kasich said in an interview Tuesday with NBC. "It means freedom, it means opportunity, it means respect for women, it means so many things."

    The GOP presidential contender laid out his proposal during a larger discussion of his plan to defeat the Islamic State. The agency would promote the Judeo-Christian beliefs to places such as China, Russia, and the Middle East, Kasich told NBC.

    I swear they must have taken lessons on how to be really, really stupid. Not to mention hypocrites of the highest order. Small government my a$$. What basis need for citizens would they eliminate here at home to pay for this exercise in stupidity?

    Let's change (5.00 / 1) (#24)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 05:58:10 AM EST
    that around:

    Ohio Gov. John Kasich is proposing a new federal agency to spread Islamic values throughout the world as a way to combat the Christian State.

    "We need to beam messages around the world about what it means to have a Eastern ethic, to be a part of an Islamic society," Kasich said in an interview Tuesday with NBC. "It means freedom, it means opportunity, it means respect for women, it means so many things."

    The GOP presidential contender laid out his proposal during a larger discussion of his plan to defeat the Christian State. The agency would promote the Islamic beliefs to places such as China, Russia, and the United States, Kasich told NBC.

    He sounds like one of the nuts from the Middle East just by exchanging Christianity for Islam in his statement.

    Parent

    And, Kasich (none / 0) (#56)
    by KeysDan on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 11:58:59 AM EST
    seemed to be the sanest of the Stand-ups.  Guess Kasich is what passes for experience th

    Parent
    You really don't have a clue (5.00 / 2) (#16)
    by MO Blue on Tue Nov 17, 2015 at 11:58:51 PM EST
    Comparing Radio Free Europe to a proposed American station prophetizing Christian-Judeo religion in the M.E. is totally ridiculous.

    Giving ISIL more ammunition to support their claim that this is a religious war is one of the best recruiting tools you can give them.

    This is a religious war (1.00 / 2) (#69)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 02:03:02 PM EST
    But Obama doesn't seem to know it.

    Parent
    Soccer (5.00 / 1) (#80)
    by FlJoe on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 03:20:15 PM EST
    hooligans? You declare religious war over soccer hooligans?

    it happen everywhere Aaron Rodgers denounces Green Bay fan for prejudiced comment during moment of silence

    It was unclear what, exactly, Rodgers heard a fan say, but on social media there were several accounts of fans in Green Bay saying things like, "Death to Muslims" and "Muslims suck." There were also a number of fans who tried to begin a "Go Pack Go" cheer during the moment of silence.


    Parent
    Nonsense. (none / 0) (#79)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 03:11:56 PM EST
    So some Turks chanted an Islamic phrase prior to a soccer match. That's indicative of nothing, given that Turkey is a secular state and NATO  member where the military still exerts a lot of control.

    That said, it's quite obvious to most everyone here that YOU personally desire this to become a religious war, given your obvious penchant for fanning the flames of Islamophobia whenever you're given the opportunity to do so. Fortunately, most people aren't nearly so stupid, ignorant and bigoted as to believe this present crisis calls for a modern-day revival of the Crusades.

    So, one can hope that cooler heads will prevail, and that most Americans will follow President Obama's sober and reflective leadership, rather than take yet another impetuous joyride down a Road to Nowhere, as offered by right-wing Republican crackpots like Sean Hannity and Ted Cruz.

    Have a nice day.

    Parent

    you should know (none / 0) (#20)
    by zaitztheunconvicted on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 01:47:11 AM EST
    You should know that some of the ISIS fighters became disillusioned with ISIS after seeing how badly they were treating people and killing them or because they were taking losses . . .

     Do you think it might help to broadcast their crimes and/or losses to those inside of ISIS, both civilians and military?

    When you tell people how badly ISIS is doing or how badly they are treating their people, do you also explain that the West treats people better?

    Parent

    It seems to me . . . (none / 0) (#21)
    by zaitztheunconvicted on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 01:52:49 AM EST
    You have a choice between 2 alternatives, do you not?

    Either kill all of ISIS fighters and believers

    OR

    persuade as many of them as you can that fighting for ISIS is a bad idea, not just practically, but morally.

    So, let me ask you a question . . .

    supposing "we" will be dropping some leaflets into Raqqa for people to read.

    Lets suppose that you are able to write the message.  What would you write for any people who manage to get and read a leaflet we drop on Raqqa or in a radio broadcast?

    Or, do you believe that dropping leaflets and making radio broadcasts would be bad form?

    Parent

    George W. Bush (none / 0) (#23)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 05:54:23 AM EST
    did this. It was a massive failure. If Saudi Arabia dropped leaflets over your town would you automatically convert to Islam?

    Parent
    Jamar Clark died in Minneapolis. (5.00 / 1) (#25)
    by Chuck0 on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 06:36:07 AM EST
    Shot by police there. Point to ponder. More Americans have been shot and killed by police in the United States than Parisians have been killed by jihadis. So tell me, who are the real terrorists in the world today.

    1005 People to Be Precise... (5.00 / 1) (#46)
    by ScottW714 on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 10:16:51 AM EST
    ...and it's rather sad that the Guardian, a British new outlet keeps better track than the FBI.

    HERE     is their ongoing coverage.

    FBI chief, James Comey:

    It is unacceptable that the Washington Post and the Guardian newspaper from the UK are becoming the lead source of information about violent encounters between [US] police and civilians.


    Parent
    The Summer of Trump (5.00 / 1) (#27)
    by CoralGables on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 07:16:20 AM EST
    Is now the Autumn of Trump (can't call it the Fall of Trump). There are only 74 days until the Iowa caucus and the current RCP averages have Trump leading in Iowa, NH, and South Carolina.

    The bottom feeder candidates are dropping out but their support is so minimal it doesn't give anyone a boost.

    Side note: Looking forward right now, polling shows Trump leading the GOP candidate on national security.

    Yep (none / 0) (#28)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 07:25:14 AM EST
    his message is perfect for the GOP. Simple: just round them all up and send them back to where they came from. The GOP base loves bluster. It doesn't matter that he has no actual plans or can even explain how he is going to implement what he says he wants to do.

    Parent
    It ain't bluster if you do it (none / 0) (#71)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 02:07:00 PM EST


    Parent
    What Has the GOP Actually Done... (5.00 / 1) (#78)
    by ScottW714 on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 02:35:26 PM EST
    ...so far ACA is still around, I mean they did nothing but bluster, still do.  They have shut down the government how many times ?

    I guess they also invaded Iraq...

    I know they went all bluster about a rights of religion in Kentucky, oh wait, they didn't do anything but show up for photo-ops.

    But other than those accomplishment the GOP is all bluster and little action.

    Parent

    Waking up to Mournng Joe (none / 0) (#30)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 07:29:08 AM EST
    It was said that while many still expect a brokered convention if Donald wins Iowa there will be no brokered convention.

    I agree.   If he wins Iowa and NH it's all but over.

    Parent

    It seems (none / 0) (#32)
    by CoralGables on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 08:10:52 AM EST
    the conversation of a brokered convention comes up every four years. It's usually brought up by talking heads that don't like the candidate in the lead. Since it hasn't happened in over 60 years, maybe it's time for the pontificators to drop it.

    Today, when money is needed to run, not enough candidates last past the early states to ever get close to a brokered convention.

    Parent

    I understand (none / 0) (#33)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 08:24:15 AM EST
    that but this is the first post Citizen's United primary for the GOP. There are going to be candidates that can stay in longer than before. It will be interesting to see if the money that some of the lower down candidates are bringing in will keep them in the race or if they'll take the money and move on.  

    Parent
    No it isn't (5.00 / 1) (#37)
    by jbindc on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 09:31:09 AM EST
    Citizens United was decided in 2010, so the first post-CU primary for the GOP was in 2012.

    Parent
    Exactly (none / 0) (#34)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 08:44:02 AM EST
    Citizens United is the reason for this cycles talk of a brokered convention.   I still think it's possible.   The money to stay in the race will be there for some even if poll numbers are not.   And with the way delegates are awarded several could show up at the convention with delegates.

    That's is becoming the whole Romney argument, it's possible no one will have enough to win.

    Parent

    Money doesn't keep funneling to losers (none / 0) (#35)
    by CoralGables on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 09:21:56 AM EST
    Jeb¢ has already discovered that.

    Parent
    We will see. (none / 0) (#38)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 09:33:06 AM EST


    Parent
    You do realize I hope (none / 0) (#50)
    by Chuck0 on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 10:48:12 AM EST
    that Rickboy Santorum won the Iowa caucus last time. Michelle "crazy eyes" Bachmann won the straw poll before that. I don't believe anyone was predicting either of them to be the nominee based on those results.

    Parent
    True (none / 0) (#75)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 02:23:52 PM EST
    They did not win other early states.  Like NH & SC.

    Parent
    I was reminded of the Pat Buchanan model (none / 0) (#200)
    by ruffian on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 01:31:57 PM EST
    I think he won New Hampshire...maybe SC too?

    Parent
    There's a difference (5.00 / 1) (#44)
    by CST on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 09:53:37 AM EST
    The BBC was talking to people who already agreed with them, giving them hope that someone was fighting in their name.

    This is telling those same people that their inherent closely held beliefs are wrong.

    I agree that we need to win hearts and minds, but in order to do that we need to meet them on their turf, so to speak, not insult the people we're trying to help.

    The BBC wasn't trying to convert Jews to save them.

    the last days of Sophie Scholl (none / 0) (#66)
    by zaitztheunconvicted on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 01:12:45 PM EST
    you write

    "The BBC wasn't trying to convert Jews to save them."

    I don't suppose you have seen the movie

    The last days of Sophie Scholl ?

    Here is her interrogation . . .

    In the middle of WWII, a group of students and friends created the white rose.  They wrote leaflets and pamphlets against the Nazis and distributed them.  On about the sixth leaflet, they were caught while distributing them in the school/university where they were students.  They were put on trial and executed--or, to be more precise, 3 of them were executed and some were threatened or imprisoned.

    The white rose did in fact preach to "Germans" and Nazis in order to convert them or at least give them the chance to realize the wrong of their ways.

    After their execution, some of the leaflets made their way to England.  I presume it was not the Gestapo who distributed them to England.

    The British then printed up thousands more of the leaflets and dropped them over various German cities.  I kind of prefer that to Dresden and Hamburg.

    Anyway, "we" did BOTH (made "moral and psychological war" and made "military war") during WWII and you might remember how WWII ended.  

    There were at times somewhat moral and somewhat Christian men who served in the Nazi SS and who left or deserted after their conscience bothered them enough . . .  "Propaganda" can help the process along.

    ISIS Muslim fighters have at times already done it (left or deserted) on their own.  

    If and when some German cities name streets and parks and other things after you . . . come and talk to me about preaching or not preaching to Nazis to convert them.

    Till then, as for me and my house, we will follow Sophie Scholl.

    Parent

    you're missing the point (none / 0) (#67)
    by CST on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 01:24:57 PM EST
    They didn't try converting Nazis to Jews either, they spoke to them in the language they already recognized, which was Christianity.

    Parent
    So why not use the Koran?? (none / 0) (#70)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 02:05:44 PM EST
    After all, it teaches just Islam, the Religion of Peace?

    Parent
    You think the members of Isis (3.00 / 1) (#72)
    by CST on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 02:12:57 PM EST
    Are following the Quran?  Link

    And yes, that's exactly what I'm suggesting.  The places with the most extremism are places where they don't want people reading it for themselves, otherwise they'd actually be educating them.  Like the old Catholic church, you need to come to us for guidance, not the Bible itself.  You might start thinking and we can't have that.

    Parent

    I somewhat think (none / 0) (#107)
    by zaitztheunconvicted on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 08:42:17 PM EST
    I somewhat think that the moral and spiritual argument against ISIS should be made in at least 2 different ways.  A Christian could write one argument and a Muslim could write another.  Right now the only argument being made publicly I remember is Obama's saying it is a crime against humanity or some such.

    At this point, however, it appears that Obama and/or RFE aren't making either argument from either the Bible or the Koran.  Now, maybe I am wrong because I have not been listening enough to RFE.  Obama in public speeches seems to not have been quoting the Bible and not have been quoting the Koran, but maybe that is because I don't pay super much attention to his speeches.

    Several hours ago I asked one of you to tell me what he or she wishes to write to be broadcast over RFE or put in a leaflet and distributed to them . . . and I don't see any of you having chosen to respond to the offer.

    *

    I am a bit puzzled by the spectrum of you who oppose my views.  Some of you are claiming that ISIS can't be defeated militarily because it is an ideology, but when I suggest that we employ moral, spiritual and psychological warfare . . . you folks complain.  Some of you claim that moral, spiritual and psychological warfare has no effect and it has been tried and found to be worthless.

    So, am I supposed to believe each of you two groups on the points where you claim that NEITHER military and psychological warfare will work?  Neither one?

    I say we should use both methods and we should arm and train and equip allies such as the Kurds who are more than happy to destroy ISIS.

    Apparently, if I were to believe some of you, there is nothing we can do except drop a few more or a few less bombs from the sky, on places like a stadium which is also a jail . . . and our bombing campaigns, French, US and Russian is alleged to have killed less than 100 ISIS fighters in the past few days.

    I guess it would have been interesting to have had you folks in the Congress in 1775 . . .  Nothing can be done . . . we have no army . . . No one here can shoot straight  . . .  Tom Paine's little pamphlet is really worthless . . . Washington is a doofus and will lead us into defeat.  Lets all surrender quickly.

    Historian Gordon S. Wood described Common Sense as "the most incendiary and popular pamphlet of the entire revolutionary era".[6]

    Washington had it read to all his troops, which at the time were surrounding the British army in Boston.

    Yeah, psychological "warfare" is really just nothing . . .

    He [William III] came ashore from the ship Brill, proclaiming "the liberties of England and the Protestant religion I will maintain".

    Yeah, William III was just a loon from Holland carrying a banner about liberty--I can't imagine that such a flag would have any effect on anyone . . .

    Parent

    I have no problem with hearts and minds (5.00 / 1) (#115)
    by CST on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 10:45:45 PM EST
    I think attempting to impose a foreign religion is naive at best and counterproductive at worst because it plays directly into a lot of their own propaganda about the west.  Frankly, I think the only thing we can really do is lead with our actions.  Show compassion in the face of hate and danger.  Live up to our own ideals as an example.  And honestly translating the Quran and funnel resources towards improving education and literacy in places where it doesn't exist.  Say what you will about Nazis, but they could read.  I don't know what dropping leafelets to an illiterate population like a lot of Afghanistan (for example) would accomplish.  It's much more complicated than WW2.

    Obama can only speak to those capable of listening.  But you're right, I don't know how to solve it.  That being said, I think "first, do no harm" applies here.  And attempting to spread Christianity to a Muslim population reeks of colonialism and has a pretty terrible history in that region.

    Provide an example of humanity and stability.  That's what we can do.  As for comparisons to Washington - he was an American fighting for America.  That matters.  I don't know how you create those in a foreign country, but supporting allies and moderates in the region is key.  Help Lebanon, help Jordan, frankly, help Iran.  Stop helping the Saudis.

    Parent

    defeating a terrorist ideology (none / 0) (#172)
    by zaitztheunconvicted on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 10:47:55 AM EST
    From 1970 to 1998, there was functioning in West Germany the RAF or Baader Meinhof group.  The RAF committed a series of crimes, including bombings, assassinations, thefts, robberies and sabotage.

    The RAF was in favor of some sort of communism.  Officially it was distinct from other communist parties, but in fact it was supported and funded for years by the East German secret service.

    The RAF had the support at times of as much of 10% of  the West German population, meaning that, at least, that part of the population would hide them from police.

    RAF is for Red Army fraction, not Royal Air Force by the way.

    After the first generation of RAF was all captured, killed and imprisoned, another group arose to take their place and continue their work.

    When they were gone, others arose . . .

    After East Germany ceased to be the DDR and as it was merging with the West, the RAF continued its crimes but with less intensity.  In fact, members of the RAF in prison began to ask for pardons . . .

    In 1998, several years after the fall of the USSR and of East Germany . . . the RAF faxed to Reuters a little note . . .

    they were disbanding and would not be killing and bombing again . . .

    If you "defeat the cause/idea/system" then, the people who are committing terrorist actions  on behalf of "the cause" will gradually give up.

    Parent

    Today's edition of (5.00 / 1) (#54)
    by CST on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 11:35:38 AM EST
    How does that even happen?

    Seriously, how do you even find a map like this?

    CST, looks like your part (5.00 / 1) (#55)
    by caseyOR on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 11:54:07 AM EST
    of the country is making a big move for that new time zone. If words won't get New England a new time zone, well, perhaps something more dramatic, like changing the location of the region, will.

    Parent
    Yeah der hey Newfoundlander (none / 0) (#58)
    by ScottW714 on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 12:11:39 PM EST
    Looks like your winter is going to be a little colder this year.

    Today I just discovered I had a F-up along the same lines.  I create a tax schedule each month in calendar form, I added and entire week after Thanksgiving.

    My planning included 4 extra work days, not good.

    Parent

    please no (none / 0) (#62)
    by CST on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 12:56:03 PM EST
    I came very close to going to college in Montreal.  A major contributing factor why I didn't - Boston is more than cold enough.  So I went for the more mild weather of Pittsburgh instead.

    Parent
    I Went to Milwaukee... (none / 0) (#76)
    by ScottW714 on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 02:29:43 PM EST
    ...and it was easier for me to ride my mountain bike then drive, but damn those was some cold, cold, days.

    Parent
    I lived in metropolitan Montreal (none / 0) (#77)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 02:34:16 PM EST
    In winter.   It snowed every day.  Every day.   A lot.
    I got a kick out of the parades they would have in the evening  saying move your car or it gets towed.

    Made me very glad I had no car.

    Parent

    Looks like it has 2 Vermonts... (none / 0) (#68)
    by ruffian on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 01:54:15 PM EST
    Feel the double-Bern?

    Parent
    Satisfying season end (none / 0) (#73)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 02:21:26 PM EST
    Of BE.   They ended up in the sack.   Just where we knew they would.

    Looking forward to his learning his mom killed his wife and child.

    Parent

    is that what that is? (none / 0) (#74)
    by CST on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 02:23:24 PM EST
    Looks to me like a combined sideways Vermont and Connecticut.  I like how Rhode Island is still kind of there though.  They seem to have managed to make it even smaller, I didn't know that was even possible.

    Parent
    Right, I was mistaking NH for another Vermont (none / 0) (#110)
    by ruffian on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 09:27:14 PM EST
    It reminds me of the big wooden puzzle we had as kids, and sometimes we'd rearrange the states,

    Howdy- yes, good BE ending . Is there going to be another season for sure? I confess I got lost in the details...why is that particular boy so important that they had to get rid of his mom? Or was she just in the way?  I thought the maidservant was going to turn out to be a traitor. Maybe she will yet if she teams up with Milus. Anyway, good show.

    BUT - Fargo!!!  Wow. Loving it.

    Parent

    I'm heading back to L.A. tonight. (5.00 / 2) (#93)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 05:59:25 PM EST
    My cousin has taken a turn for the worse and is now suffering from kidney failure, so we're probably at the end of her run, and I want to be there with her when it comes. So I've just booked my flight, and I'm signing off to get ready to go.

    Aloha.

    I am so sorry, Donald (5.00 / 1) (#104)
    by Zorba on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 07:51:33 PM EST
    Be strong for your cousin.
    Namaste.

    Parent
    Thank you for your kind thoughts. (5.00 / 2) (#121)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 12:57:44 AM EST
    I'm currently sitting in Hilo Airport awaiting my flight, and just got the call that she passed away 30 minutes ago, surrounded by her family. She made a good fight of it for four years, but it was tough on her at the end and she's now at peace. I got a chance to talk to her at length a few days ago, and for that I'm thankful and grateful.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 (none / 0) (#122)
    by The Addams Family on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 01:04:43 AM EST


    Parent
    So sorry to hear that, Donald (none / 0) (#123)
    by shoephone on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 01:06:53 AM EST
    It's good you got to have that time to talk with her. And after fighting so hard, now she doesn't have to fight anymore. I hope that brings you and your family some comfort.

    Parent
    You know, I was rather shocked by ... (5.00 / 2) (#127)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 04:59:35 AM EST
    ... how rapidly she had deteriorated these last two months. I mean, she had held her leukemia at bay and was in remission for the better part of four years, to the point where it looked this summer as though she had actually run the table and beaten it.

    But when we learned in September that her leukemia had returned, it spiked with such furious vengeance and was so unrelenting, there was really nothing that any of her doctors could do to save her. In that regard, I'm so grateful that she went quickly and didn't linger for some indeterminate period of time as an invalid. I know she would've hated that, because her biggest fear was that she'd become a burden on her kids, who are ages 17 to 27.

    We were only a few weeks apart in age ourselves, and were born in the same hospital. We literally grew up together, and would double-date in high school. She was my sister at heart and my touchstone, and I'm really going to miss her something awful.

    Thank you for your kind thoughts.

    Parent

    You have my deepest sympathies, (5.00 / 2) (#160)
    by Zorba on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 09:53:08 AM EST
    As well as my prayers.
    Yes, I know what you are saying, about being grateful that she didn't linger on and on.
    Hugs to you and your relatives.
    Are her parents still alive?  Because it is exceptionally hard on parents when a child dies, regardless of the age of the child.  Our children are not supposed to die before we do.  
    If they are still with you all, please give them extra comforting, as I am sure you will be able to do, even in the midst of your own deep grief.
    May peace be with you.

    Parent
    Yes, my aunt is 85 and still with us. (none / 0) (#181)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 12:01:10 PM EST
    But as you surmised, these last couple of months have been really hard on her. She's always been something of a family rock and pillar, and now it's time to assume that role on her behalf, rather than vice versa.

    The hospital will be asking us today regarding the disposition of my cousin's body, so I'm already helping everyone pull this together and make the necessary arrangements. I've called the funeral home that handled them when both my grandparents passed, so we'll be meeting this afternoon with the same woman who assisted us with my grandmother's funeral. She said that she'll contact the hospital and arrange for the pickup and transport of my cousin's remains.

    Way back in 1895, good Catholics that they were, my great-great-grandparents had purchased what probably seemed at the time to be a rather inordinately large number of burial plots at Calvary Cemetery in east Los Angeles when it first opened, in anticipation of serving the family needs whenever the time came. (Or as my grandmother once quipped, "on a first come, first served basis.") My cousin's ashes are to be interred there, per her wishes. So today, I'm also grateful for that long-ago foresight of my forebears, because that's one less thing to worry about.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    It's good that you are there (5.00 / 1) (#190)
    by Zorba on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 12:43:32 PM EST
    to help, even though it's hard on you, as well.
    But your aunt and your cousin's children are fortunate to have you there to support them and help them.
    It is a time of mutual mourning and mutual coming-together for all of you.
    As we say in the Orthodox Church, may her (your cousin's) memory be eternal.   Αἰωνία ἡ μνήμη.

    Parent
    So sorry for your loss. (5.00 / 1) (#193)
    by jbindc on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 12:45:10 PM EST


    Parent
    So sorry for your loss and especially (none / 0) (#174)
    by ruffian on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 10:50:32 AM EST
    her kids who lost their mom way too soon. That is really rough. It sounds like your family has a fantastic support system for them. That will be a blessing.

    Parent
    So sorry to hear this, Donald... (none / 0) (#128)
    by Anne on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 06:33:23 AM EST
    but I know that along with your grief is a sense of peace for her, that her suffering is over.

    I'm glad you had that time together recently; we might all be better off if we were saying to others, and hearing from those we love, the things too many of us wait to say until the end is near.

    Hope all goes well, and that being with family and friends will both uplift and comfort those who are grieving.

    Parent

    So sorry for your loss, Donald (none / 0) (#135)
    by MO Blue on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 08:03:56 AM EST
    My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

    Parent
    Donald, I am so sorry that your cousin (none / 0) (#169)
    by caseyOR on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 10:33:56 AM EST
    died. It is so hard to lose someone who has been with us our whole lives, especially someone our own age.

    I do not remember if you ever said what type of leukemia she had, but for an adult to live that long with many types of leukemia is quite an achievement. Of course, that does nothing to lessen your sense of loss now.

    I am holding you and yours in my thoughts.

    Parent

    Did anybody (5.00 / 1) (#97)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 06:44:41 PM EST
    else read this about Anton Scalia? It sounds like he's either coming down with dementia or does not understand the difference between criminal behavior and behavior between consenting adults.

    He's been going that way for awhile (5.00 / 1) (#98)
    by shoephone on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 06:52:20 PM EST
    It could be he's just gone nuts.

    Funny thing, he and Ginsburg used to be pals. They and their spouses used to have dinner together frequently. I've read that she won't have anything to do with him anymore.

    Parent

    Interesting (none / 0) (#99)
    by MKS on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 07:09:58 PM EST
    Scalia had publicly said Ginsburg was his best friend on the Court.

    Maybe she just ran out of patience or her spouse had had enough.

    Parent

    Probably (none / 0) (#102)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 07:22:27 PM EST
    even kind people have their limits with crotchety bitter people.

    Parent
    Martin Ginsburg (none / 0) (#202)
    by KeysDan on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 01:38:15 PM EST
    died in 2010.  Maybe, Mr. Ginsburg had a higher tolerance level.

    Parent
    Jake Arrieta, Cubs ace, won the Cy Young (5.00 / 2) (#105)
    by caseyOR on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 08:07:33 PM EST
    award for the NL. Joe Maddon won Manager of the Year. Kris Bryant won Rookie of the Year.  Not bad for a team that did not even break .500 last year.

    The Cubs didn't make it to the WS this season, but they still had a damn fine run.

    Astros Dallas Keuchel... (none / 0) (#152)
    by ScottW714 on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 08:55:07 AM EST
    ...wins American League Cy Young Award.

    Since you didn't mention it.

    Parent

    Some of us (5.00 / 2) (#163)
    by Zorba on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 10:06:09 AM EST
    Don't care about the American League.   ;-)

    Parent
    Right There With You... (none / 0) (#166)
    by ScottW714 on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 10:22:09 AM EST
    ...I hate that the stros went to the the AL.  They used to be in the same division as the Brewers, now it's all teams I don't care about.

    This is the first year I didn't go to a MLB game in decades, I bet.

    Parent

    And the Brewers used to be in the AL. (none / 0) (#196)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 01:05:05 PM EST
    So, ultimately, what was the point of the offset? The 1982 AL champions are now in the NL, while the 2005 NL champs are now in the AL. The question begs as to why they even moved the Brewers to the NL in the first place.

    At least there are only two leagues in MLB, unlike college sports where there are numerous conferences and it's been akin to musical chairs of late. TCU moved five or six times from conference to conference over a 12-year period before finally settling in the Big 12, which currently has only ten members while the Big 10 now has fourteen.

    Meanwhile the WAC dropped football altogether, so Hawaii now finds itself in the Big West conference, while its football program is in the Mountain West, which is comprised entirely of former WAC members who've reconstituted under a different name. Then Utah bolts the Mountain West for the Pac-12, while BYU opts to go independent in football and then joins the West Coast Conference for all other sports.

    So, go figure. The old quip used to be that you couldn't tell the players on the field without a scorecard. Nowadays, you can also no longer tell the various teams and their respective leagues / conferences without the same. It's enough to have you reaching for a bottle of aspirin or a bottle of tequila, or both.
    ;-P

    Aloha.

    Parent

    FWIW Reguees and Protocols.. (5.00 / 1) (#171)
    by ScottW714 on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 10:44:34 AM EST
    ..not to drag another thread into this one, but:
    The State Department has received 17,000 referrals for Syrians from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees since 2011 and resettled about 9% of those who have applied, according to State Department data.

    The U.S. takes 70,000 refugees a year from all areas, based on regional caps established by the president. Taking more Syrians would mean raising this cap, according to human rights advocates.

    The idea that our protocols are somehow flawed when we are only settling 9% of applicants is ubsurd, squared.  I wonder what happens to the un-settled 91% ?

    LINK

    I wonder what happens... (5.00 / 1) (#175)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 10:56:09 AM EST
    Voyage of the Damned

    Parent
    FWIW... (5.00 / 1) (#192)
    by ScottW714 on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 12:44:20 PM EST
    More Mexicans and their children, some who are Mexican American, have left the U.S. than have migrated here during most of the administration of President Barack Obama, according to a report released Thursday by Pew Research Center.

    The overwhelming reason for returning to Mexico was to reunite with family or after starting a family.

    That finding by Pew Research Center contrasts with the descriptions of Mexican migration as a crisis and out of control that have been heard from the GOP primary campaign trail this year.

    Pew's researchers, using data from U.S. and Mexican government sources, found that 140,000 more Mexicans returned to Mexico than came into the U.S. between 2009 to 2014.

     LINK

    Just another non-existent problem for the GOP to exploit.

    B@stard Executioner (5.00 / 1) (#204)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 04:26:18 PM EST
    ruffian

    One thing I was going to mention about the finale.   When the guy set himself on fire for the final battle, which was amazing btw, I could not stop thinking about a standup routine I saw Richard Pryor do after his "fire incident".   Speaking of what he learned from it he said "I learned that when you are on fire and running down the street, people get out of your way".  Rather brilliant battle tactic  

    You probably know that guy was Kurt Sutter the creator of the series.   And Sons of Anarchy.  

    Actually, Jim, the height of "bsing" ... (5.00 / 1) (#210)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Nov 20, 2015 at 01:58:51 AM EST
    jimakaPPJ: "And calling a very well planned terrorism attack that had multiple locations 'a soccer hooligan shootout' is the height of bsing."

    ... is deliberately misrepresenting the context of someone's remarks, as you're doing here. Scott was clearly calling out your earlier and patently silly attempt in this Open Thread to mischaracterize the obviously rude behavior of obnoxious Turkish soccer fans during a match with Greece as part of a religious war.

    And he was right, because that's exactly what you did. Shame on you.

    well (1.00 / 1) (#5)
    by zaitztheunconvicted on Tue Nov 17, 2015 at 09:50:44 PM EST
    I have learned things here from both my "friends" and my "opponents" or at least from my interaction from the "opponents."

    The bible has a saying that one friend sharpens another . . .

    This board has at least 2 other conservative or semi-conservative or libertarian posters, but you folks seem to be, of late at least, far more upset with jimakappk than with near-nude and near-voyeuristic me . . .

    maybe it has something to do with our views on killing civilians, but I forget what jim has been posting . . .

    I watched some of Chris Hayes today and from time to time I watch Rachel Maddow.  Do I always agree with her?  No, but I often do and she is often right . . .  What matters most is that I learn.

    commetnt you are replying to (none / 0) (#19)
    by Jeralyn on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 12:26:20 AM EST
    was deleted for personal attacks on you and name calling. You are free to comment here, but please do so in moderation per our comment rules so you don't become a "blogclogger."

    Parent
    Too late, Jeralyn...he's already clogged up (5.00 / 10) (#26)
    by Anne on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 06:46:26 AM EST
    the pipes here - with no sign he intends to stop.

    And if you read what he writes and checked out the links he keeps posting to his own blogs, you might understand shoephone's reaction to his presence here - it is one most of us here share.

    I'm sure I'm not the only one here who sighed in disappointment at the deletion, realizing it is only going to encourage him.

    Parent

    It's a lost cause, Anne (5.00 / 3) (#94)
    by shoephone on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 06:21:27 PM EST
    She just doesn't give a cr*p. Trolls are given carte blanche here, while the rest of us have comments deleted and thinking people end up banned. Don't be surprised if that's exactly the result of the comment I'm making now.

    Parent
    Jeralyn, FYI. United Airline's (5.00 / 2) (#47)
    by oculus on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 10:18:21 AM EST
    in flight wi fi would not permit me o access TL. One reason maybe the links imbedded in the comments by zait.

    Parent
    oculus, I'm flying on UA534 right now ... (5.00 / 1) (#126)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 04:19:33 AM EST
    ... from HNL to LAX, and my access to TL is fine. I wonder why you were blocked. Did it happen to you on one flight, or on several if you were connecting? Because for tonight anyway, that doesn't seem to be a problem.

    And as you know, United's WiFi service isn't free, but what surprised me is that it's also not cheap. I only purchased it because I've got documents I'm working on that need to be sent out tonight, since I'll be busy with family over the next few days. (My cousin, who had leukemia, died earlier this evening.)

    Further, the service is only available out of Hawaii on select aircraft, such as the B-777 I'm on now. I'll be on a B-737 when I return to Hilo next week (nonstop and not connecting in Honolulu like tonight), and it's unavailable on those aircraft when they're operating on routes outside the lower 48.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    I Am Very Sorry... (5.00 / 1) (#153)
    by ScottW714 on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 08:59:00 AM EST
    ...to hear that your cousin passed, Donald.  May peace be with you and your family.

    Parent
    Oh, Donald (5.00 / 1) (#185)
    by sj on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 12:27:52 PM EST
    I'm so sorry about your sister-cousin. Knowing it's coming doesn't make it hurt any less.

    Peace to you and your family.

    Parent

    A non stop SD to EWR. (none / 0) (#139)
    by oculus on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 08:12:04 AM EST
    My thoughts are with you.  

    Parent
    Scott (1.00 / 1) (#209)
    by jimakaPPJ on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 07:16:39 PM EST
    if you keep making things up:

    And then there is Jim, who from what he written here, hates France to his core, who wants to wage a religious war against a fifth of the citizens on the planet, 1.6B people, over some soccer hooligan shoutout, because a country he despises was attacked, which apparently means he currently loves the French enough to start a world wide holy war.

    I'm gonna lay the big L word on you.

    And calling a very well planned terrorism attack that had multiple locations "a soccer hooligan shootout" is the height of bsing.

    Why don't you fly over and tell that to the police. I'm sure they will have some explanations for you.

    on cnn's analysis . . . of ISIS-land (none / 0) (#1)
    by zaitztheunconvicted on Tue Nov 17, 2015 at 08:22:59 PM EST
    1. There are very few 'good guys' to back
    ISIS and the Syrian regime have few military opponents. Dozens of militia crowd the battlefield, their allegiances as impenetrable as they are varied. It's a mess -- but a few players stand out, often for bad reasons.

    *

    There are 3 terroristic Islamic opponents of Syria, and thanks be to God, the 3 of them can't agree with each other, have refused mergers, and at times don't cooperate. . . .

    Military commandeers who have said divide and conquer have only the 2nd half of their saying to do . . . How sad that the terrorist can't agree with each other . . . and that ISIS, Al-qaeda and its affiliate al-nusra and Hezbollah (Shia) can't get along.  Oh me oh my!

    and there are separatist and communist Kurds who believe in arming and training women to handle weapons and fight as well as men and who are supported by hundreds of women do not like the idea of being oppressed

    *

    2. The Kurds? They aren't the solution to everything. . .

    except that they just took back a city . . .
    and when they did, ISIS responded by executing its own people who were retreating . . .

    ISIS Executes Dozens Of Its Own Militants Who Fled Kurdish Advance

    the Sunnis don't trust the Kurds. . .

    A real bad problem . . .  I will lose sleep over that.

    The Kurds in Syria have cooperated with the regime from the start--or at least agreed not to fight each other.

    *

    Kurds want to have a home . . . The kurds actually fight . . . the kurds rescue religious minorities such as yazidis . . . the kurds arm and train women . . .  The kurds MIGHT not want Sunnis to live in their land afterwards . . . the Kurds otherwise behave like peaceful people . . . unlike the blood-thirsty sunni ISIS and the blood-thirsty Al-nusra and the murderous socialist-sunni regime . . .  Hummmmmm  a real problem . . .

    *

    these are the kind of people we should have in charge of all of Syria . . . but if that can't be done, why is it a problem to give them a place of their own?  Do they burn Christians?

    And the Kurds are most interested in creating their own homeland in northern Syria, which they call Rojava. That means that when they liberate lands from ISIS, it can't immediately be guaranteed that they will welcome back the Sunnis who used to live there.

    it took the U.S. months to negotiate the use of the Incirlik airbase in southern Turkey to bomb Syria and Iraq.

    So, everybody is a problem except for the Kurds and the problem with the Kurds is that they don't like or trust their neighbors, the same people we consider terrorists or reluctant, recalcitrant allies . . . or a dictator .  ..

    What exactly is the problem with the Kurds?  Did they read some CIA briefings that most of the lands and militias run by sunnis are terrorists?

    But the president's challenge for clear alternatives has yet to be coherently answered.

    Has it occurred to anyone to ask the Kurds if they have an airport?  I can't imagine what the army might be able to do with an airport . . .

    Today's important legal news!!! (none / 0) (#2)
    by zaitztheunconvicted on Tue Nov 17, 2015 at 08:49:11 PM EST
    So, in the case of federal prisoner Foy v
    the Super-rich members of the Illuminati    , Pope, Obama and Biden, the obviously corrupt 3rd circuit court of appeals has affirmed the dismissal of the suit

    1) the suit was filed in the wrong jurisdiction
    and
    2) it does not seem in the interests of justice to merely move it to the right one!

    So, there, Foy, the Illuminati members have defeated you again and kept you imprisoned!

    And I find out about this important news from sources like the volokh conspiracy, rather than TalkLeft!~

    uh . . . (none / 0) (#4)
    by zaitztheunconvicted on Tue Nov 17, 2015 at 09:45:49 PM EST
    So, has hrc been claiming that she tried to join the marines in 1975, and that does not seem to be true, and other Dems are irritated that news reporters are asking about this?

    Hard to remember he was even running (none / 0) (#6)
    by MO Blue on Tue Nov 17, 2015 at 10:09:14 PM EST
    Evidently others did not care that he was.

    Republican presidential candidate and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal suspended his bid for the presidency Tuesday night, saying, "This is not my time."
    Poor Jindal. (5.00 / 1) (#92)
    by KeysDan on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 05:50:14 PM EST
    He never got to have what Scott Walker has as a keepsake:  Number One in Iowa, for a minute.  Now Jindal can spend more time with his exorcist.

    Parent
    I wonder how (none / 0) (#7)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Nov 17, 2015 at 10:25:20 PM EST
    the people in LA feel about having him back since apparently the vast majority of them do not care for him one bit.

    Parent
    "People in LA" (none / 0) (#100)
    by MKS on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 07:11:23 PM EST
    You got me on that one....

    No, people here don't want him....

    Parent

    LA = Louisiana (none / 0) (#101)
    by Anne on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 07:20:37 PM EST


    Parent
    yep (none / 0) (#111)
    by MKS on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 09:29:20 PM EST
    Just gave me a double take...

    Parent
    Bobby, we hardly knew ye. (none / 0) (#11)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Nov 17, 2015 at 10:55:12 PM EST
    And given the low opinion expressed by so many of your constituents nowadays, that's probably a very good thing.

    Parent
    God help us... (none / 0) (#45)
    by lentinel on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 10:09:42 AM EST
    if it ever is his time.

    Parent
    "This Week's Adorable Cat Video" ... (none / 0) (#10)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Nov 17, 2015 at 10:52:07 PM EST
    ... comes from Istanbul, where a few of our inquisitive feline friends have somehow managed to infiltrate the tight security at the upcoming G20 Summit.

    I wonder if he realizes what he is saying (none / 0) (#12)
    by MO Blue on Tue Nov 17, 2015 at 11:01:14 PM EST
    NRA-Backed Legislator: We Can't Take Syrian Refugees Because It's Too Easy For Them To Buy Guns

    yes well (none / 0) (#14)
    by zaitztheunconvicted on Tue Nov 17, 2015 at 11:16:52 PM EST
    It is not possible to do the proper mental health background check on them!  Maybe they have been involuntarily committed to some institution for their own safety while they were in Iraq or Syria and we don't know about it . . .

    Parent
    Bad Link (none / 0) (#48)
    by ScottW714 on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 10:26:54 AM EST
    Good Link

    Rep. Tony Dale (R) made this argument in a television interview on Monday and in letters to Texas' U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz (R) and U.S. Reps. Michael McCaul and John Carter (R).

    "While the Paris attackers used suicide vests and grenades," Dale wrote, "it is clear that firearms also killed a large number of innocent victims. Can you imagine a scenario were [sic] a refugees [sic] is admitted to the United States, is provided with federal cash payments and other assistance, obtains a drivers license and purchases a weapon and executes an attack?" He urged the lawmakers to "do whatever you can to stop the [Syrian refugee] program."

    But Dale is one of the Texas legislature's most fervent gun-rights advocates. Two weeks ago, he tweeted his National Rifle Association membership renewal. In accepting an "A" rating from the group and the Texas State Rifle Association's PAC in 2012, he observed: "Perhaps no right is more fundamental than the right to keep and bear arms." And his campaign website vows his fealty to the Second Amendment, saying it "isn't just an archaic document," a "guarantor of all of our other freedoms." And he and his colleagues in the state legislature have blocked mandatory background checks for all gun purchases.

    How does one even reason with that kind of logic ?

    Parent

    Thanks for providing a good link (none / 0) (#81)
    by MO Blue on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 03:20:25 PM EST
    Still mess up the links at times when using my iPad.

    Parent
    It's Funny... (none / 0) (#82)
    by ScottW714 on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 03:58:47 PM EST
    ...how republicans can look at our gun control policy 'objectively' when there is a chance muslims might exercise the very rights they have insisted are universal and unbreakable.

    I always thought it would be black folks with guns that would get republicans to rethink our gun policies, but turns out they fear brown folks with guns a lot more.
    ------------

    Not that anyone cares, but in August 76 people were killed by ISIL in Baghdad, no one gave a F.  That is the core of the problem, IMO.  We have two reactions, "brown folks, so what", "white folks, time to change everything we do" and "it's go time on the war front."  

    And then there is Jim, who from what he written here, hates France to his core, who wants to wage a religious war against a fifth of the citizens on the planet, 1.6B people, over some soccer hooligan shoutout, because a country he despises was attacked, which apparently means he currently loves the French enough to start a world wide holy war.

    Not that it's surprising, the guy rarely makes sense, but it is an insight into what Fox News is pushing and where their 'leaders' will be sitting in the near future.

    Parent

    Baa waa waa (5.00 / 1) (#87)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 04:45:56 PM EST
    I know. The French are cheese eating surrender monkeys who deserved to be attacked until they were attacked. Now it's we've got to have a holy war to defend a secular France. The jokes just write themselves.

    It's obvious conservatives have the same mindset no matter where they reside. Holy War? That's the province of Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda is defining the terms of the debate for conservatives here in America it would seem.

    Parent

    Phrase of the Day, Hands Down (5.00 / 1) (#179)
    by ScottW714 on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 11:53:43 AM EST
    cheese eating surrender monkeys

    That is the funniest thing I have read in a while.

    Parent

    Hey (none / 0) (#180)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 11:59:33 AM EST
    it's not original though. It came directly out of the mouth of conservatives. The same gang that brought you "Freedom Fries". LOL.

    Parent
    Give him a break (none / 0) (#83)
    by CoralGables on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 04:19:20 PM EST
    Without the French, he would have no need for the blustery hatred of France.

    Going after Syrian refugees for something done by French and Belgian nationals in Paris is just a convoluted way of protecting our freedom(fries)

    Parent

    When fans at a tractor pulling contest ... (none / 0) (#90)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 05:34:09 PM EST
    ... start singing "La Marseillaise" in solidarity with their ideological soul sister Marine Le Pen, then we're over the top. That lady's a true whackbird, one who makes Jeb! Bush sound like Mother Theresa in comparison.

    And the truly scary thing about Mme. Le Pen is that not only is she openly racist and xenophobic, but as the leader of the right-wing Le Front National (FN), which is France's second largest political party, she is clearly President François Hollande's biggest political rival right now, and one who currently enjoys fairly robust support throughout the country.

    My fear is that the recent attacks in Paris might make French citizens more amenable to Ms. Le Pen's intolerant hardline position regarding Muslim residents in her country. Further, given that this woman's father is longtime FN leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, who's the French version of Dick Cheney, she makes me think of Liz Cheney -- and then I think of what it would be like were Liz Cheney to actually be a successful leader of the GOP, and a serious presidential contender.

    I think this is probably why President Hollande, whose own personal popularity has been on rather shaky ground of late, has staked out his own hardline position in recent days, as a means to undermine his rival's nascent political appeal during this period of crisis.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    She has toned it down (none / 0) (#106)
    by TrevorBolder on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 08:24:36 PM EST
    And is estranged from her father, but that might just be posturing

    Al Jazeera

    But Le Pen has been trying in recent years to widen her base and capitalize on opposition to Europe's economic policy.

    Le Pen has tried to soften the party's image since she took over from her father in 2011.

    She kicked her father out of the party he founded this summer, after he repeated his view that the Nazi gas chambers were merely a "detail" of history.

    Nicolas Sarkozy might be beneficiary on his comeback trail, between Le Pen and Hollande


    Parent

    Al Jezeera also said this today: (none / 0) (#125)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 03:33:40 AM EST
    "As for Le Pen, like every extreme-right leader she is thriving on this environment of fear. Fascist movements affiliated to her party have staged several demonstrations over the past few days to stir the scapegoating of immigrant communities, the very basis of her political platform."

    That sure doesn't sound to me like Marine Le Pen's party is toning it down. Further, Le Pen herself has been brought up on hate speech charges in Lyon, for equating French Muslims who recite their prayers in public places with the Nazi German occupation of France:

    "I'm sorry, but for those who really like to talk about the Second World War, if we're talking about occupation, we can also talk about this while we're at it, because this is an occupation of territory. It's an occupation of swaths of territory, of areas in which religious laws apply. For sure, there are no tanks, no soldiers, but it's an occupation all the same and it weighs on people."

    Inciting racial hatred is a crime in France, one which is punishable by up to a year in prison and a fine of €45,000 ($48,150). A judge summoned Ms. Le Pen to appear in court on October 20 of this year, and the court's verdict will be delivered at a later date. While she's seeking to characterize the charges as political persecution, it should be noted that her father was convicted several times for similar offenses.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Photos of a French Cop's riot shield (none / 0) (#18)
    by Mr Natural on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 12:16:17 AM EST
    - with 27 bullets embedded, from the Bataclan incident.

    'like something from Dante's hell'

    Flying is so much safer today (none / 0) (#31)
    by Chuck0 on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 07:35:28 AM EST
    Buzz Lightyear toy confiscated. DEA, TSA, worthless, moronic organizations that do nothing but waste taxpayer dollars.

    A youtube video causes a pie shortage (none / 0) (#39)
    by CoralGables on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 09:35:33 AM EST
    There is a run on sweet potato pies at Walmart

    Walmart is now scrambling to make more sweet potato pies.

    "We are working very hard with our supplier to try and produce more product," Kerry Robinson, vice president for bakery and deli at Walmart, told NPR. "We're in the process of securing another 2 million pounds of sweet potatoes."
    Had to check to see if it was vertical (none / 0) (#41)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 09:38:07 AM EST
    It was of course.

    Parent
    They're not (none / 0) (#201)
    by Zorba on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 01:31:59 PM EST
    that hard to make.
    Although I prefer butternut squash pie.

    Parent
    Can we talk about people (none / 0) (#40)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 09:37:04 AM EST
    Who take iPhone videos vertically?

    Seriously people.

    Did you ever notice your iPhone is the same aspect ratio HORIZONTALLY that your TV has?
    Perhaps thats to facilitate iPhone videos being easily transferred to TV?   Not shown in a tiny vertical spot in the center of the screen?   Think that's possible?

    Right... (none / 0) (#52)
    by ScottW714 on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 11:30:38 AM EST
    ...but if you view them on another phone...

    Same with pics, I take some for sending and viewing on phone, vertical, but pics that I want to save and look at at home, horizontal.

    Take pics or video on phone horizontally is a pain, it requires two hands, whereas vertical requires one.

    That being said, watching the above review was so painful, and not just because of the orientation.

    Here is a perfect example, Sunday I went to get some beignets at the cajun place and ran across this outside, which begged to have a picture taken and sent to friends.

    Parent

    2 hands horizontally (none / 0) (#85)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 04:26:17 PM EST
    But not vertically.  Ok.

    Parent
    The evidence (none / 0) (#42)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 09:46:15 AM EST
    does not support what you propose since it has been tried before and failed. I know that never stops Republicans from trying the same failed strategy over and over though.

    Can of Schweppes Gold Brought Down Russian Plane? (none / 0) (#49)
    by RickyJim on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 10:42:23 AM EST
    Link

    I've been following all the knee jerk (none / 0) (#53)
    by Chuck0 on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 11:34:07 AM EST
    reaction stories about stopping Syrian refugees from coming to the US. This is disgusting. I'm embarrassed and ashamed to be an American. This idiot in Tennessee is calling for his state to round up all existing refugees and ship them back to ICE. Ted Cruz is all pouty 'cause mean ol Barack said bad things about him (sort of) in Turkey. These GOP governors should all be called out as lowlife cowards just as Obama has done.

    Sounds Like Cruz... (none / 0) (#63)
    by ScottW714 on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 12:58:03 PM EST
    ...wants to duel:
    "If you want to insult me, you can do it overseas, you can do it in Turkey, you can do it in foreign countries, but I would encourage you, mister president, come back and insult me to my face," the Texas senator and Republican presidential candidate said this on Capitol Hill Wednesday.

    I think someone needs to remind Cruz of his daily barrages against Obama.

    Parent

    Four State Polls released today (none / 0) (#86)
    by CoralGables on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 04:40:45 PM EST
    There is a pattern developing:

    Colorado     Clinton +28
    Connecticut Clinton +19
    Florida         Clinton +44
    New Jersey  Clinton +37

    Ah jeez. Both of Doug Flutie's parents died (none / 0) (#88)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 05:30:53 PM EST
    of heart attacks this morning.

    Sorry, (5.00 / 1) (#89)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 05:33:37 PM EST
    link here.

    RIP Dick and Joan Flutie.

    Parent

    We learned yesterday that the (none / 0) (#95)
    by Anne on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 06:27:43 PM EST
    39-yr old husband of a former co-worker's daughter, collapsed and died of what was determined to be a massive heart attack - this happened at the birthday party for his wife, my friend's daughter.  They had just been married a year in September.

    I guess you just never know.

    Parent

    39. Way too young. (none / 0) (#96)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 06:39:09 PM EST


    Parent
    Interview of Tamir Rice case prosecutor (none / 0) (#108)
    by McBain on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 08:47:00 PM EST
    Tim McGinty
    He had some interesting things to say about the handling of the Michael Brown case...

    What you saw in Ferguson, they didn't have an open investigation," he said. "They kept it all a secret, rumors abounded; the media milked it; the radicals loved it, had they lit their torches and made up their minds before they knew the facts. We're putting the facts out there.

    I like that quote but I don't think facts really matter to many people in shootings like this.

    The facts (none / 0) (#120)
    by Repack Rider on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 12:21:52 AM EST
    ...are clearly depicted in the video and in the personnel record of the incompetent cop who fired a fatal shot with no pretense of assessing the situation.  Remember, before the video surfaced, the press office had an entirely different story.

    Who ya gonna believe, the ever-changing press release or your lying eyes?

    Parent

    Either it was a justified shooting or (none / 0) (#124)
    by McBain on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 01:31:22 AM EST
    it will be impossible to prove otherwise.  That's what I believe.  I would like to see this case go to trial but I doubt it will.  

    As I have pointed out, many times, the shooting officer didn't have time to assess the situation.  The driving officer drove right up to Rice.  You can't convict the shooter for something the driver did.  Emotional thinkers can't seem to comprehend this. They combine both officers into one person.    

    Parent

    Your excuses are ridiculous. (5.00 / 3) (#129)
    by Chuck0 on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 06:34:28 AM EST
    No one, absolutely no one, should be allowed to have a firearm as part of their job description then go about using it without "assessing the situation." Soldiers in a war zone have stricter rules of engagement than that murdering cop did.

    Parent
    The shooting officer wasn't required to (5.00 / 2) (#130)
    by Anne on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 06:41:35 AM EST
    shoot just because the driver drove right up to Rice.  You keep connecting the events in that way, but there is nothing that says that the driver's actions required his partner to shoot.  Not immediately, not at all.

    The driver erred in barreling up to the scene, but the shooter could have taken the time to assess the situation.  He didn't.  The shooter did the equivalent of what the driver did, it's just that what he did killed someone.

    Parent

    They've been cleared by three different (none / 0) (#187)
    by McBain on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 12:38:56 PM EST
    independent reports by experts on police use of force.  This isn't just my opinion.  There wasn't time to assess much of anything.
    "It is simply obvious that the officers had a reasonable belief that Rice was armed," Katsaris wrote.


    Parent
    Yeah (none / 0) (#203)
    by sj on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 01:40:17 PM EST
    Gotta love those toothless oversight investigations. Denver is just full of them and still we pay out millions in damages. Even though the officers in question may have been "cleared".

    Parent
    My petty first world problem (none / 0) (#116)
    by ruffian on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 10:55:20 PM EST
    I still have a land phone line, I won't name the service provider. In the last few months it has stopped working multiple times - sometimes for a few days. Had the repairman out once in July, and he fixed something in one of the outside junction boxes or whatever he called it, in the neighborhood. It broke again a few times after that, and magically started working on its own. This time it stopped working a week ago, so today I called to put in a another repair order - and they said they would fix it if I REALLY wanted, but wouldn't I rather have a 'wireless land line' for $20 per month, unlimited long distance. Would need extra equipment , startup fee, and a battery backup if power goes out, and emergency services would still have to be told the address if I called 911. I said - why would I want that when I have a cell phone? I keep a land line to avoid all that in an emergency and power outage. She said - but this is more reliable - see, your land line breaks down! I said - it has been fine for 10 years until the last few months.

    Now I know it has probably started breaking down after they started this new "service"!!!

    Aaaargh.  

    Should I just give up on a land line altogether? I sure am not going for this new thing.

    I Have a Land Line... (5.00 / 2) (#162)
    by ScottW714 on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 10:01:09 AM EST
    ...for three reasons, one the alarm, which means the GD thing better be working at night.  Secondly, internet.  I like DSL for no other reason that my only cable option is Comcast.  Lastly it's a number to to put on paper when someone requires it and I know I don't want them calling my cell.  I even have an answering machine on that line, I never listed to it, but my GF seems to get a lot of entertainment out of listening to telemarketers.

    For me ruffian I went through this with Comcast somewhere else, basically I told I was not going to even entertain the idea of upgrading until they fixed the actual service I was paying for.  Didn't really achieve what I wanted, but at least I am not forking over more dough for something that doesn't work as expected.

    For me it's not a choice, my GF does not feel safe at home without an alarm when I am gone overnight.  Who am I to argue, I gave her my bear spray from a camping trip, but she likes the alarm.  When I am home, I never set it.


    Parent

    Sorry (none / 0) (#117)
    by CST on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 10:58:24 PM EST
    You lost me at "land line" ;)

    Parent
    Yes. (none / 0) (#118)
    by oculus on Wed Nov 18, 2015 at 11:15:06 PM EST


    Parent
    Depends upon where she lives (none / 0) (#119)
    by Zorba on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 12:08:03 AM EST
    For instance, our cell phones here on top of a mountain do not work.  I have to go two  miles downhill to get reliable cell service.
    So if I'm having a heart attack and need to call an ambulance, if there is a fire and I need to call for the fire company, if there is someone trying to break into my house and I need to call the police, I would be sh!t out of luck if I didn't have a land line.

    Parent
    Trum (none / 0) (#131)
    by jbindc on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 07:43:23 AM EST
    Seeing how far his supporters will let him go

    A Donald Trump rally was interrupted several times by protesters tonight and the outspoken presidential candidate suggested that one of them, whom he described as "seriously overweight," was upset because he was talking about food stamps.

    "You know it's amazing, I mentioned food stamps at that guy who's seriously overweight went crazy -- Amazing. Amazing," Trump told the audience in Worcester, Mass. "That's an amazing sight."
    This is below average Trump (none / 0) (#132)
    by CoralGables on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 07:59:28 AM EST
    His supporters would be disappointed with anything less. He's not even pushing the limits here.

    Parent
    He gives new meaning to (5.00 / 2) (#136)
    by Anne on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 08:04:39 AM EST
    "appealing to the base."  Seems like the appeal is to people's baser instincts, feelings and fears - and to some extent, it's working.

    Is there a hazmat suit that can protect against all this stupid?  Because it seems like it's reached epidemic proportions.

    Parent

    "Strength" (none / 0) (#141)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 08:15:55 AM EST
    That's the thing according to mourning Joe.   He's odious but he's right.   That's what they see.  Strength.  
    Another great quote I heard this morning, (paraphrase) the more complicated the situation becomes, the more obvious it is that there are no simple solutions, the more people want to hear simple solutions.  

    Frightening.

    Parent

    Since when did noisy peacocks at full feather ... (5.00 / 1) (#168)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 10:30:00 AM EST
    ... become equated with strength? Honestly, seeing Trump on the stump reminds me of a long-ago night of very hard partying -- 1980, as a matter of fact -- at a bar in Ensenada, MX, when this drunken American 20-something kept standing on his chair, grabbing his crotch and yelling at the top of his lungs, "Who's got the big one??? I DOOOOooo ...!!!"

    Parent
    Apparently since (none / 0) (#173)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 10:49:07 AM EST
    The republican base lost its mind and decided to revolt against itself.

    It's working.

    Parent

    No one has ever said (none / 0) (#143)
    by CoralGables on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 08:21:40 AM EST
    the average American is very bright. You can win many votes by telling the electorate you'll lower their taxes, put more people in jail, bomb other countries, and according to Ted Cruz, start every day on your knees.

    Parent
    Personally (none / 0) (#134)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 08:01:44 AM EST
    I find the new radio ads talking about bombing the hell out of ISIS more offensive.

    Parent
    You don't honestly (none / 0) (#133)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 08:00:24 AM EST
    Thank this will have the smallest effect on his supporters do you?

    There is a new round of polls out this morning for what they are worth they all show Donald back on top.  Supposedly one that over sampled evangelicals still has Carson leading but basically he getting a youge post Paris bump right across the country and even bigger in early states.

    Donald s looking like the nominee.   You should probably start considering how to process that.

    Parent

    I thunk (5.00 / 1) (#154)
    by jbindc on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 09:04:17 AM EST
    Many of his supporters who go to rallies will like fat-shaming comments combined with picking on poor people,, but I think as he keeps getting nastier, many people who may have been interested in him will not pull the lever or check the box next to his name.

    It's all a game to him and he is seeing just how far he can go.

    Parent

    The nomination (none / 0) (#170)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 10:39:28 AM EST
    Is my guess of how far he could go.

    Parent
    For a long (none / 0) (#142)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 08:21:28 AM EST
    time I was uncertain whether Trump would make it all the way but it's looking more and more likely. His toxic mix of xenophobia and dumbed down talking points is exactly what the GOP wants.

    Parent
    Whatever that's supposed to happen (5.00 / 1) (#144)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 08:25:12 AM EST
    To stop him should probably get started.

    Parent
    Until the herd thins (5.00 / 1) (#146)
    by CoralGables on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 08:32:52 AM EST
    nothing will change. There's little to gain when the person on the attack isn't necessarily the beneficiary of the votes if the attack works.

    Nope, at this point attacking Trump just draws more attention to Trump. Unless it eventually falls to maybe 3 candidates on the GOP side we should be looking at more of the same.

    Parent

    The ultimate thinner (none / 0) (#149)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 08:36:45 AM EST
    Will be when voting starts.  That could be to late.

    Parent
    I thought (none / 0) (#147)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 08:33:30 AM EST
    they were going to start dropping the bombs in September. If they went off they surely had little to no effect.

    The majority of the GOP base is a bunch of people who have resided in a hermetically sealed bubble of talk radio and Fox News.

    Trump is the master of the game. The name of the game is fleecing the rubes. He knows exactly who his voters are and he's got it down pat.

    Parent

    Trump (none / 0) (#158)
    by jbindc on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 09:49:27 AM EST
    wants Ted Cruz for VP .

    Ouch.  That's gotta sting the Cruz campaign at this stage.

    Parent

    I have been saying for a year (none / 0) (#161)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 09:55:10 AM EST
    He wants the job.   He has been the only person with no criticism at all of Donald.    And the make a perfect team.   Cruz makes up for any conservative cred Donald lacks and he is probably the only candidate craven enough to echo Trumps message however crazy it is.

    It's all proceeding according to my plan.

    Parent

    Is the message (none / 0) (#182)
    by Chuck0 on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 12:03:51 PM EST
    fat people shouldn't be allowed to get food stamps?

    Parent
    You have to stop looking for a hidden message (5.00 / 1) (#184)
    by CoralGables on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 12:22:50 PM EST
    With Trump there is no message, just bluster.

    Parent
    Yes (none / 0) (#191)
    by jbindc on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 12:43:59 PM EST


    Parent
    And perhaps (none / 0) (#194)
    by Zorba on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 12:46:50 PM EST
    people with horrible, back-to-front comb-overs shouldn't be allowed to become President.    ;-)

    Parent
    It's more (5.00 / 1) (#195)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 12:55:43 PM EST
    side to front to back

    Parent
    Whichever, it's still (none / 0) (#198)
    by Zorba on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 01:18:16 PM EST
    hideous.
    But he must like it, because he could certainly afford a hair transplant, or a very, very good toupee.  

    Parent
    Its funny (5.00 / 1) (#199)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 01:24:38 PM EST
    He could increase his credibility by 500% by getting a buzz cut and bring honestly bald.

    Parent
    I liked this James Wolcott article I read this (none / 0) (#197)
    by ruffian on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 01:13:37 PM EST
    morning. Insult comic as candidate.

    He sees a lot of Trump's motivation in the fact that he was embarrassed in various 'roasts', including the White House Correspondents Dinner where Obama made some deadly on target jokes at his expense. This whole campaign can be seen as an "I'll show you" tour.

    Parent

    Apparently (none / 0) (#137)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 08:07:57 AM EST
    The Mastermind has been identified as dead.

    By fingerprints.

    Sorry (none / 0) (#138)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 08:11:11 AM EST
    Just saw that update in the other post

    Parent
    More rumors out of the O'Malley campaign (none / 0) (#140)
    by CoralGables on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 08:13:06 AM EST
    that at best he'll survive until New Hampshire.
    Who will be next? A GOP or a DEM candidate?

    Out so far

    GOP
    1 Scott Walker
    2 Rick Perry
    3 Bobby Jindal

    Dem
    1 Lincoln Chafee
    2 Jim Webb
    3 Lawrence Lessig

    Next out will likely be someone that considers themselves a serious candidate but has no backing. I'd make a small wager on Pataki out the door before Iowa. Graham, Santorum, and Huckabee are just staying around for the potential attention from soundbites.

    IMO (none / 0) (#145)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 08:28:54 AM EST
    Pataki is going to stay in because he's probably liked by the GOP elite and in the wake of all their other candidates going by the wayside he's got to be looking better and better to them. Graham is a useful idiot for the GOP as he's the canary in the coal mine throwing out trial balloons. Santorum should have already been out and Huckabee might pick up some evangelicals in the demise of Carson.

    Parent
    Rand has had a lot of pressure (none / 0) (#148)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 08:34:39 AM EST
    To drop out because he is also running for his senate seat.

    Parent
    I went back and forth between Pataki and Rand (none / 0) (#151)
    by CoralGables on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 08:46:59 AM EST
    before choosing Pataki. Rand would definitely be my second choice for next out. There is no real pressure on him to campaign for the senate yet. I don't believe any Republican has chosen to run against him in a primary.

    Parent
    He should (none / 0) (#155)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 09:23:47 AM EST
    drop out. I guess he's putting a lot of hope in something happening in NH where there's supposedly a good number of Libertarians.

    Parent
    I don't think any of those you mention (none / 0) (#150)
    by CoralGables on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 08:37:04 AM EST
    will win a delegate going forward. But if they aren't seriously campaigning (and none of them are) there is no cost to continue. It's free to campaign when you are throwing soundbites with no staff.

    As you say, Pataki is serious (with no backing), which is why I'd bet he's the next to go.

    Parent

    I guess (none / 0) (#156)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 09:29:09 AM EST
    we'll see. I just see the GOP elite encouraging him to stay in in the wake of the disaster that has become Jeb and Marco.

    Parent
    Sorry. Capt (none / 0) (#157)
    by jbindc on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 09:46:36 AM EST
    Bastard Executioner has been canceled

    To bad (none / 0) (#159)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 09:51:26 AM EST
    But it ended in a reasonable way.  

    Speaking of TV.   The final season of Banshee is coming next year on MAX.
    this has been and excellent series.   I recommend binging the existing seasons to prepare.

    Parent

    Dang...but yes, at least we can imagine (none / 0) (#176)
    by ruffian on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 10:58:25 AM EST
    a happily ever after for the BE and Lady Love, except for independence from the Crown!

    Parent
    And the whole (none / 0) (#177)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 11:34:27 AM EST
    Mom killing wife and child thing

    Parent
    Oh yeah, that too (none / 0) (#183)
    by ruffian on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 12:03:59 PM EST
    Well at least we are spared that Katey Sagal accent. I have to agree with previously tv on that, though I know you did not like that commentary. That was horribly grating to me.

    Parent
    I think you would like (none / 0) (#178)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 11:35:41 AM EST
    Banshee

    Parent
    Ben Carson's Life Stories... (none / 0) (#164)
    by ScottW714 on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 10:08:26 AM EST
    ...put on film over at SNL.

    Young Ben Carson, complete with black jesus.

    I'm not a fellow (none / 0) (#167)
    by CST on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 10:29:24 AM EST
    And I did provide some answers, you just don't like them.

    We were friends with the Soviet Union for World War 2, they were instrumental in helping to defeat the Germans, despite the fact that prior to, and after the war they were the "big bad".  The enemy of mine enemy is my friend.  You use the tools you have, and Iran is another tool.

    To my mind, it isn't just about religion, (none / 0) (#186)
    by Anne on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 12:29:50 PM EST
    it's about religion as a means to control; in the hands of extremists, religion is an instrument of power.

    And that is true whether you are talking about Islamic extremists or Christian extremists (or [insert religion here] exttremists); I have no doubt that ISIS could just as easily be a Christian organization, and that its tactics would be as violent and terroristic in that cause as they are as part of an Islamic extremist group, because I think the ultimate goal is power.

    I am, frankly, tired of the hypocrisy of American Christians sounding the alarms about Muslims, when we have numerous Christian extremists in this country working hard to impose their views and beliefs on others and trying to use the law and the government to do some of the heavy lifting.

    Leaflets?  Radio Free Europe?  Leaflets just become trash if you can't read.  If you don't have a radio or internet, if you're living in a refugee camp, what good is it?  If you have been living with war and death and poverty and constant fear, are you really going to trust anyone?  Are you really going to believe promises when all the other promises you've been told have been broken?

    War is not the answer.  If we're going to be hated for our freedoms, let's go all the way:  let's do more for our homeless and hungry, for our seniors, for our children.  Let's stop being afraid of what our neighbors are doing behind their bedroom doors.  Let's stop trying to climb on the backs of the weak in order to believe ourselves strong.

    When I read phrases like, "it is the Christian way during wartime," I don't/can't process either the intended truth of that statement, or the sense it makes in the context of the current situation.  In my decidedly amateur opinion, I don't have any idea how injecting more religion into it helps, as much as it conveys a feeling of "ours is better than yours."

    I suppose, in your own way, your intentions are sincere, but taken as a whole, they just don't make sense to me.

    United HealthCare (none / 0) (#189)
    by jbindc on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 12:43:06 PM EST
    May leave Obamacare exchanges

    One of the country's largest health insurers warned Thursday that it may leave the ObamaCare exchanges within two years, delivering a shock announcement that could ripple through the marketplace.

    At a shareholder meeting Thursday, UnitedHealthcare cast doubt on its ability to carry plans on the healthcare law's exchanges beyond 2016, offering a more grim financial outlook than it had previously expected.

    From another story about this at USAToday (sorry, no link)

    Even though UnitedHealth wasn't a major player yet on the ACA exchanges, the fact it priced plans conservatively and entered cautiously made its statements more significant, said Katherine Hempstead, who heads the insurance coverage team at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

    "If they can't make money on the exchanges, it seems it would be hard for anyone," Hempstead said.
    Donald: In the days and times ahead, (none / 0) (#205)
    by christinep on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 05:02:27 PM EST
    may God grace you and all your family with the blessings of love. Peace be upon your beloved sister-cousin in her eternal welcome.  

    When my close cousin and lifelong friend similarly had to leave us several years ago, I was honored to be present for a last animated exchange of words,touch in those final days ... as time moves forward, that last memory has an exceptional place all its own.  I pray that the memories of your time and talks and love together will ever remain as the shining reality that it is.

    Trump (none / 0) (#206)
    by jbindc on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 05:32:15 PM EST
    Has crossed the Nazi line and now wants Muslims to wear special ID badges.

    Oh, jbindc, what do we do now (none / 0) (#207)
    by christinep on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 06:53:48 PM EST
    So much seems to be a nightmare. ID badges? When does the book-burning start?

    Hope he doesn't dumb it down to go (none / 0) (#208)
    by ruffian on Thu Nov 19, 2015 at 07:11:03 PM EST
    after them...Republicans tuning out Colbert's Late Show....can't link, but article is on salon.com. Guess they prefer Kimmel. Women love that Jimmy Fallon!  Except me...Stephen's my guy.

    Apologies (none / 0) (#211)
    by jbindc on Fri Nov 20, 2015 at 05:22:23 AM EST
    I've been called out by Snopes

    Trump didn't actually say he wants them to wear special ID badges, but what he said was in the same spirit.

    Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

    JB... (none / 0) (#212)
    by ScottW714 on Fri Nov 20, 2015 at 08:43:17 AM EST
    ...not that I would ever defend trump, but I saw the clip, it was a gottcha yes/no question.  

    That being said, once he realized that he had been had, instead of clearing up the air, he decided it a was a good idea.  

    No point, but like 'Inception' the idea wasn't there until someone else planted it, in this case a reporter.

    Tuesday Night Open Thread | 203 comments (203 topical)