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Sunday Night Open Thread

By Jeralyn, Section Blog Related
Posted on Sun Nov 22, 2015 at 07:59:49 PM EST
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Belgian police asked citizens and journalists not to discuss their ongoing terror operation today on social media. Belgians complied with thousands of them posting photos of cats instead.

The Belgian Interior Ministry's Crisis Centre was very grateful.

Did they get their man? No. The New York Times reports that according the prosecutor's press release, they made 16 arrests but their target got away. Other reports have sighted him driving towards Germany.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

< Brussels on Lockdown, Imminent and Specific Terror Threat | State Dept Issues World Wide Travel Alert >

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    Sunday Night Open Thread | 211 comments (211 topical)
    Hellooooooo (5.00 / 3) (#5)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 08:45:39 AM EST
    Where did everybody go?

    100 truly amazing un-photoshopped photographs

    To whom it may concern: (5.00 / 3) (#8)
    by oculus on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 09:04:42 AM EST
    The Donmar Warehouse production of Henry IV (with an all-female cast) at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn is as good as Ben Brantley (NYT) says and contains a great deal of humor.

    PS. Walk from York St. station was deserted. No denim, , tatoos, nothin'.  

    got the 'Hamilton' soundtrack yesterday (5.00 / 1) (#23)
    by ruffian on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 09:48:06 AM EST
    holy cow, it is amazing. In some parallel universe I can afford to go see it.

    Parent
    Bronx? (none / 0) (#35)
    by oculus on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 10:15:46 AM EST


    Parent
    well...maybe not that parallel universe (none / 0) (#39)
    by ruffian on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 10:28:40 AM EST
    if you are referring to what I think you are.  The lodging cost is only part of it.

    Parent
    Sounds like fun! (none / 0) (#45)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 10:55:47 AM EST


    Parent
    Thank god (none / 0) (#52)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 11:43:07 AM EST
    There was no denim or tattoos.

    Parent
    There is more to this (5.00 / 1) (#80)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 01:29:22 PM EST
    Conversation than what meets the eye in this thread :)

    Parent
    I know! (none / 0) (#75)
    by Zorba on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 01:11:52 PM EST
    I mean, I was recently visiting Daughter Zorba in the Willimsburg area of Brooklyn, and I saw so much denim and tattoos, I don't even know how I escaped with my life.  :-D

    Parent
    After listening to (5.00 / 4) (#116)
    by CoralGables on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 05:07:44 PM EST
    Rubio, Graham, Huckabee, Carson, and Trump this week, I have to agree with those that think

    this is the new GOP logo.

    Goody sued for defamation (5.00 / 1) (#118)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 05:31:19 PM EST
    By republican Benghazi staffer


    The ex-GOP House Benghazi Committee investigator who accused the panel of conducting a partisan witch hunt against Hillary Clinton filed suit Monday against the committee and Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) for wrongful termination and defamation.

    Obama appointee (none / 0) (#200)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 07:04:38 PM EST
    Randy Moss (hope I got the name right) as judge for the Gowdy/Benghazi trial.

    Parent
    TurDukEn (5.00 / 1) (#186)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 05:21:10 PM EST
    Happy Overeating

    We are doing Thanksgiving (5.00 / 1) (#188)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 05:51:08 PM EST
    A day early.  The cops and EMTs have to work Thursday and no one really wanted to cook and clean up the mess.   So we are doing it at a local restaurant.  They are making a whole turkey for us.

    I love this because it gives me uninterrupted marathons all day Thursday.

    Parent

    We are providing (none / 0) (#189)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 06:09:20 PM EST
    The sides.   I am doing roasted Brussels sprouts.  In a nod to international unity.

    Parent
    Do you roast your sprouts (5.00 / 1) (#196)
    by caseyOR on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 06:35:50 PM EST
    with bacon? I do mine with bacon, shallots and garlic.

    Parent
    Exactly (none / 0) (#197)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 06:42:15 PM EST

    Expecting some excellent sides.   And excellent bread.   The restaurant owner is a friend of the family and suggested it.

    This is sort of an experiment.  My sister always does it at her house but she is not well enough.  We decided that even if we did all the work it would be to much stress.  And none of the rest of us have houses big enough.  


    Parent

    Sounds like the perfect solution (5.00 / 1) (#201)
    by ruffian on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 07:47:03 PM EST
    Enjoy, and have a happy early Thanksgiving!

    Im going to my local adopted family, an ex-corker and her extended family. Including twin 3 yr olds. Always a lot of crazy family fun. Miss my own family but we are so scattered this is the next best thing.

    And she makes awesome stuffing, I'm making sweet potato casserole with dried apricot, OJ, and pecan topping. Yum!

    Parent

    No Jim... (5.00 / 3) (#211)
    by ScottW714 on Wed Nov 25, 2015 at 09:39:01 AM EST
    ..this is not true:
    The thing about most Lefties, and Righties for that matter, is that they can't accept the fact that people that they disagree with had a life and did things.

    What is true is that the guy here whose words clearly demonstrates he is scared to leave the comfort of his under the bed haven, making claims that are in complete contrast to the person we all know and hate.  I never said it wasn't true, as did most commenters, lefties, and righties, but you managed to group us all together.

    Don't try wrapping up all opinions of a huge set of people into some sort of crucifixion against you and entire set of people.  

    This is about one person, you, and the fact that a lot of people don't believe you here isn't anyone's fault but the guy who plays fast and lose with the truth, scratch that, it the fault of the guy who consistently lies.  That is you Jim.

    I don't think it's out of line for some to be skeptical of you adventuresome past, when at present all you write about is how bad and scary the world is, and how much there is to fear in it, and generally how much you hate everything that isn't like you.

    Quit blaming others for your perception problems.

    The Leftovers (none / 0) (#1)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Nov 22, 2015 at 08:45:15 PM EST
    Amazing.

    Don't drink the water!

    not so many years ago (none / 0) (#2)
    by The Addams Family on Sun Nov 22, 2015 at 08:51:02 PM EST
    the people so wittily apostrophized here were a significant & loyal segment of the Democratic Party's base

    looks like today's "progressive" Democratic base thinks the party deserves a better class of bigot

    You must have vinyl siding (none / 0) (#3)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Nov 22, 2015 at 09:08:47 PM EST


    Parent
    Done that... (none / 0) (#4)
    by lentinel on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 05:32:23 AM EST
    To be reminded of the dangers of toppling a dictator, U.S. officials need only look to Libya, where the overthrow of Muammar al-Qaddafi in 2011 led to anarchy.

    You'd think we would have learned a thing or two about toppling dictators who were not to our liking.

    W. and those who followed in his wake, removed Hussein. Result: Chaos. And a vacuum being filled by people who threaten and despise us.

    So then, ten years later, we toppled Qaddafi.
    What is that thing that Einstein said about those who repeat the same action expecting a different result?

    What I would like to know is ...

    Who was pushing within the administration for the removal of Qaddafi? Did they not think about what that would cause in Libya? And Syria?

    I think there was a desire to (5.00 / 1) (#16)
    by ruffian on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 09:35:16 AM EST
    encourage the so-called 'Arab Spring', and not throw a damper on the the efforts to oust bad actors, even though there was not a successor that could immediately bring peace and democracy. Resulted in half-baked actions.

    I didn't think it was a good idea, but I felt like a jerk for saying so - remember all the flack about 'who are we to tell arabs they can't have democracy? that's racist!'

    Parent

    It (none / 0) (#30)
    by lentinel on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 09:58:28 AM EST
    was never about democracy.

    It was, and is, about control, power, money and oil.

    And it still is.

    Parent

    Also, as Hillary has explained (none / 0) (#66)
    by MKS on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 12:29:37 PM EST
    the French and many of the Arab states begged us to intervene militarily to among other things prevent a massacre of people in Bhenghazi.

    Parent
    She's (none / 0) (#83)
    by lentinel on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 02:03:07 PM EST
    copping out...  imo.

    It was she who was gung-ho to overthrow Qaddafi.

    For four years as secretary of state, Mrs. Clinton played a prominent role in nearly every foreign policy issue of Mr. Obama's first term, often pushing the White House to embrace a more aggressive approach. She urged the administration to join a NATO-led coalition to oust Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi in Libya, proposed that more forces be left in Iraq and pushed to funnel arms to moderate Syrian rebels.
     NYTimes

    So, imo, she bears responsibility in no small measure to the messes in which we have become embroiled - both in Libya, and now Syria.

    Intervening in civil wars has not proven to be very good for the people of the US. Maybe it has been good for business - good for career politicians - but for the people it has been disastrous.

    We have learned nothing from history, and so we are doomed to repeat it. By "we", I mean "us" to the degree that we continue to either support or accept politicians either responsible for or in denial about what they have done to us and the world.

    And, even though HRC acknowledges with a slight smile that she was wrong to vote for the AUMF in 2001, she never delved very deeply into her motivation for so doing, and so... here we are again.

    Parent

    The decision to invade Iraq (5.00 / 3) (#88)
    by ruffian on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 02:44:07 PM EST
    was an entirely different case than the decisions to aid insurgent groups in toppling their own dictators. Maybe equally wrong, but lumping them all together sheds no light on anything.

    One of the few ways we have to win hearts and minds in the Middle East is to be on the side of the people vs the dictators. How to do that without creating even more trouble for the people? Do we say, hey, trust us on this, for the time being you are better off with your dictator, and walk away? Go in all guns blazing, topple the dictator, and stay forever to police the mayhem afterwards? there are no good answers, at least none that I can see.

    Parent

    Intervention (5.00 / 1) (#119)
    by christinep on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 05:39:40 PM EST
    WWII ... Hitler and genocide directed against the Jewish people--as the murderous campaign grew--throughout Europe.  

    Most examples about going to war, when the US should intervene or should any powerful country ever intervene when the powerless are being destroyed without such help????  This question and argument, which I pose here, should not be overused.  We should not diminish the evil that was visited upon the Jews of Europe in order to boost an argument ... yes, that is a reminder to myself that I often make ....  And, now we have the growing and spreading and metastasizing right in front of the world known as ISIS/ISIL/DAESH.

    Perhaps, there are some who would never intervene in the face of any human suffering.  At this juncture and with that particular imminent threat (ISIS) in significant parts of the world community, I am not one of those non-interventionists at all costs.  The morality that I know and have been taught does not align with that degree of posed detachment. (BTW, ruffian, while this comment follow your comment, it is not meant to address your position; rather it addresses the "holier-than-thou" posture displayed by some who would seem to allow significant humanity to suffer rather than ever get-our-hands-dirty.)

    Parent

    I'll (none / 0) (#122)
    by lentinel on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 06:32:29 PM EST
    agree that there are no good answers...

    But intervening in a civil war does not seem to work out for anyone.

    But more than that, I have not been able to feel that our interventions have been based on humanitarian values.

    I believe that that is the way these interventions are sold to us: The liberals are sold on the humanitarianism: The conservatives are sold on the power aspect - the foothold in wherever it is that the intervention is proposed to take place - to "protect us".

    Both rationales are bogus, imo.
    Another agenda is afoot.

    Just my opinion.

    Parent

    Isolationism (none / 0) (#135)
    by jbindc on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 06:51:28 AM EST
    Is not successful foreign policy. So what do you suggest?

    Parent
    Don't (5.00 / 1) (#138)
    by lentinel on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 09:04:04 AM EST
    you see how selective they are about which civil wars they choose to engage in?

    They just happen to be the ones that are in areas we consider strategic - areas either rich in natural resources which we wish to control - or strategic in that they let us put our airfields there.

    I am not an isolationist.

    But I am not going to accept the self-interested bellowing coming from the republicans and their partners in the administration as well as a significant portion of the democratic party.

    I would work to strengthen the United Nations - which we have continued to marginalize for the last 40 years.

    And - if you want to talk about non-isolationism (if there is such a word) - at least they should do it in a manner that does not slaughter 100s of thousands of children, women and men whose only transgression is that they live there.

    People ask, "why do they hate us?"
    To which i reply, "Duh".

    Parent

    For the Record... (5.00 / 1) (#145)
    by ScottW714 on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 10:58:16 AM EST
    ...one of the things France wants from the UN is to lift restrictions on bombings which means they want to bomb more places that were off limits because of the 'collateral' damage, aka innocent people.

    Yeah, how could anyone in the Arab world get the wrong idea about the west caring about innocent people's lives.

    Parent

    So. You aren't an isolationist (none / 0) (#139)
    by jbindc on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 09:19:24 AM EST
    But you also oppose being selective in "the civil wars"  in which we engage because they are "strategic" (in quotes because you are assuming that every place we get involved in was completely contained with one set of borders, and we just messed it up, which is just not true)  

    Duh.  Don't you make decisions on what's best for you and your life, generally?  Should we NOT be selective where we engage? Is that what you are saying then (since you aren't an isolationist)?

    Hey, if you want to ignore a travel warning because you think "Big Brother" is "exercising control" over you, well then go ahead and travel overseas.

    There a lot of things to be upset about in this world, but a State Department travel warning is not one of them.

    Parent

    It might once have been (none / 0) (#136)
    by TrevorBolder on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 07:10:46 AM EST
    But not anymore

    The world has shrunk

    Parent

    Relative isolationism seems to work (none / 0) (#151)
    by jondee on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 11:21:12 AM EST
    pretty well for the Swiss and the Swedes and the Dutch..

    And they all live in the same "shrunken world" as the rest as everyone else.

    Parent

    Easy to do (none / 0) (#154)
    by jbindc on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 11:58:22 AM EST
    With tiny populations and the rest of the big powers in the west holding the burden.

    Parent
    How About Mexico and Canada... (5.00 / 1) (#168)
    by ScottW714 on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 02:12:39 PM EST
    ...relatively same distance from Syria, Canada is larger than the US and Mexico's population isn't far being the US.  How about all central and south American countries, they manage without getting wrapped up in wars on the other side of the planet.

    There is a lot of people staying out of the Middle East, more than our in.  Not all of them are tiny or irrelevant.

    Parent

    In the genre of dictator toppling... (none / 0) (#11)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 09:25:06 AM EST
    Dumping the Shah of Iran by Jimmy Carter didn't work out either....

    Parent
    You must (5.00 / 2) (#27)
    by lentinel on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 09:55:51 AM EST
    be joking...

    Parent
    He's not joking. (4.67 / 6) (#42)
    by Chuck0 on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 10:42:35 AM EST
    He reads the same history books they foist upon the poor students of Texas public schools. They invent the history that fits their worldview.

    Parent
    Come now (none / 0) (#34)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 10:11:43 AM EST
    why would I joke about an event that birthed the modern radical islamist movement??

    Parent
    Jimmy Carter (5.00 / 8) (#41)
    by Repack Rider on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 10:39:48 AM EST
    ...did not overthrow the government of Iran and install the Shah.  

    That would be the CIA under Eisenhower.

    Carter had to deal with the consequences, just like Obama had to deal with the consequences of Bush-Lite.  Republicans love to blame Democrats when the consequences of their actions surface.

    The revolution in Iran in 1979 had less to do with fundamentalism than it had to do with Iranians chafing under 25 years of a dictatorship imposed on them by the United States.

    Parent

    It was the Dulles Boys (none / 0) (#59)
    by MKS on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 12:20:16 PM EST
    John Foster at State and Allen at CIA.

    They toppled the Iranian government in 1953 and then the democratically elected Arbenz in Guatemala in 1954.  The blowback from both was immense.

    JFK was initially saddled with Allen Dulles.   But he did get rid of him.

    Parent

    Who got rid of who? (none / 0) (#71)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 12:44:21 PM EST
    Now?

    Parent
    It's called (5.00 / 2) (#73)
    by jondee on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 01:05:49 PM EST
    when in doubt and flailing around in the dark, blame a Democrat..

    For the darkness and for your flailing..

    Parent

    What are you asking? (none / 0) (#97)
    by MKS on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 03:26:01 PM EST
    Elaboration?

    Parent
    Jimmy Cater toppled the Shah? (5.00 / 1) (#58)
    by MKS on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 12:17:26 PM EST
    Oy.

    Parent
    Yeah. (none / 0) (#166)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 01:54:59 PM EST
    And not only that, but Carter also gave away the Panama Canal, lost Afghanistan to the Communists, and got Pol Pot to slaughter his own people, while single-handedly ruining the U.S. economy by causing inflation.

    After a few shots of bourbon, the right-wing narratives practically write themselves. Drink an entire bottle, and you could probably author an entire high school history textbook for the Texas State Board of Education.

    :-|

    Parent

    You got it exactly backwards (5.00 / 4) (#65)
    by MKS on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 12:27:54 PM EST
    The revolutionary forces in Iran took our embassy people hostage because of Carter's support of the Shah.

    Cater gave the Shah asylum here in the U.S. and the Iranians demanded we send him back as a condition to the release of the hostages.  

    Good grief, you were alive and an adult when all this happened.   It does not require an in-depth knowledge of history.  

    Parent

    Noooooooooooooo (none / 0) (#81)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 01:53:05 PM EST
    He fled Iran because Carter had withdrawn support.

    Carter then, in a typical display of Left wing hypocrisy offered him asylum.

    He died in Cairo.

    Parent

    Read page 42 (none / 0) (#82)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 02:00:55 PM EST
    of this link in which Carter gives the kiss of death in a 12/9/78 Washington news conference.

    ...I don't know...This is something in the hands of the people of Iran....

    Known as "damning with faint praise.

    Parent

    Jimbo, the people of Iran (5.00 / 1) (#98)
    by MKS on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 03:27:47 PM EST
    did not support the Shah....

    U.S. support could only prop up such a guy so long....

    Parent

    Yes, it was in the hands (5.00 / 1) (#99)
    by MKS on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 03:30:23 PM EST
    of the Iranian people.

    What you have done in this thread is conflate two separate ideas:(1) allowing countries to overthrow dictators according to the popular will; and (2) the U.S. activing overthrowing other countries.

    You see, the idea is that homegrown changes are more accepted.

    Parent

    So (5.00 / 2) (#107)
    by FlJoe on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 04:15:20 PM EST
    exactly who are we to take it out of the hands of the Iranian people? What kind of arrogance do you or anyone have to have to decide that the American government has a right to decide anything for any foreign population? Barring war crimes or other major international crimes of course.

    Parent
    et al (none / 0) (#124)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 07:19:10 PM EST
    Let me see...

    FlJoe - Was the average Iranian better off in a secular Iran or in theocracy?  Do you think the average Iranian was allowed to choose?

    Was this 16 year girl better off? Link

    Zand-Bonazzi: Well, sadly this young woman was hung in public charged with adultery. The man with whom she had allegedly had sexual relations with was also arrested but he only received 75 lashes apparently and then freed!

    Zand-Bonazzi: Well, according to the Islamic Republic of Iran's interpretation of the Shari'a (I don't know how it's interpreted or done in Arab countries) a woman is automatically the seductress, however young and innocent. According to them, a man, no matter how old and promiscuous, is considered to be a "victim."

    Now, quite a few facts about this poor young girl has come to light. First of all she was visiblymentally unwell...'

    Was that a war crime?? Yes. A war against women.

    Two gays hung in Iran.

    Were they better off?

    Jondee... United Fruit?? Really??

    MKSie - Yes. The Soviets were looking for way to export their oil and needed a warm weather port. It was the height of the Cold War.

    Jondee - If Carter had supported the Shaw we wouldn't have had to. We later supported Iraq as our de facto army and that was a bloody mess that killed thousands all because Carter wouldn't support the Shah.


    Parent

    Jim (5.00 / 3) (#134)
    by FlJoe on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 06:09:17 AM EST
    google Savak before you keep praising life under the Shah, by many accounts Iran under the Shah was one of the most brutal police states in the 20th centuries. I may add that this police state was created and run with the assistance of the CIA.

    Carter was right to turn his back on that monster. It was our interference in the first place that removed a democratically elected, secular government and installed a brutal despotic ruler.

    My America does not support such rulers, your's obviously does

    Parent

    The agreed upon right wing narrative (5.00 / 2) (#144)
    by jondee on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 10:54:20 AM EST
    that Jim will parrot for you free of charge, is that the Shah was "moving toward democracy"; meaning that women who hadn't already been tortured to death were granted some minimal rights under his regime.

    Parent
    And off we go on another flight of fancy (none / 0) (#175)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 03:45:47 PM EST
    from FLJoe.

    I never said Savak was good, or the Shah a nice guy.

    I said Iran was a secular country under him that was, with our urging, slowly improving.

    Now, saying that Iran was one of the most....

    Shall we compare it to the USSR who starved millions???

    Shall we compare it to Mao's China who killed millions????

    Shall we compare it to Pol Pot who killed millions???

    I mean really. Iran was our ally under the Shah. That is enough to make it bad.

    Parent

    Granted (none / 0) (#187)
    by FlJoe on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 05:42:05 PM EST
    they didn't rack up the body count of some others but then again neither did the Stasi.

    Sure he was an ally Jim, we installed him, his countrymen came to see him, rightfully, as a puppet. He maintained rule by brutally suppressing  his political opponents, much like the communist regimes of eastern Europe of the time.

    Parent

    I know you don't like dictators that are our (none / 0) (#203)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 08:18:38 PM EST
    allies. Neither did Carter>

    At the same time, support for the Shah may have waned among Western politicians and media - especially under the administration of U.S. President Jimmy Carter - as a result of the Shah's support for OPEC petroleum price increases earlier in the decade.[41] When President Carter enacted a human-rights policy which said countries guilty of human-rights violations would be deprived of American arms or aid, this helped give some Iranians the courage to post open letters and petitions in the hope that the repression by the government might subside.[42]

    OTOH I am sure you agree with giving them nuclear weapons.

    Parent

    How would we have (none / 0) (#130)
    by jondee on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 12:35:15 AM EST
    "Supported the shah" without going to war to thwart a popular revolution?

    Tell me, what the alternate strategy would've been.

    Don't be bashful.

    Parent

    I am never bashful and seldom wrong (none / 0) (#174)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 03:40:07 PM EST
    (See RFK killer)

    It all boils down to this. IF Carter had not shown that we wouldn't have supported him then we wouldn't have needed to do anything.

    It's really simple stuff.

    Parent

    Really (5.00 / 2) (#177)
    by FlJoe on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 03:55:52 PM EST
    simple comic books stuff. Carter speaks and the Iranian revolution stops cold. Revisonist history is fun and easy, fun for all ages and good training for future right wing pols.

    Parent
    Basically what you're saying (none / 0) (#90)
    by jondee on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 02:48:56 PM EST
    is that the U.S should've gone to war with Iran, a country twice the size of Vietnam, well-armed, with rugged mountainous terrain and sharing a border with the old Soviet Union..

    Yeah, that would've a walkover. Sure to glean popular support in this country..

    Parent

    So, do you think it (none / 0) (#103)
    by MKS on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 03:41:09 PM EST
    was a good idea to:

      1.  Topple the Iranian government in 1953; and
      2.  Topple the Guatemalan government in 1954?

    Parent

    If United Fruit and BP (5.00 / 1) (#106)
    by jondee on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 04:13:59 PM EST
    say Arbenz and Mossadegh were communists that's good enough for Jim.

    For that matter, if Rush says Obama's a communist that's good enough for Jim.

    You're arguing with someone who's still pissed that Kennedy didn't provide more air support for the Bay of Pigs.

    Parent

    I would agree (none / 0) (#112)
    by MKS on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 04:52:23 PM EST


    Parent
    Donald responds (none / 0) (#6)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 08:57:28 AM EST
    To Mitt and other silliness from the party-

    LINK


    IIn spite of a pledge he made in September to not run an independent campaign for president, business tycoon and reality TV star Donald Trump said on Sunday that he will wait and "see what happens" between himself and the Republican Party.

    Trump was speaking to ABC News about a recent report that GOP insiders are mounting an all-out "guerrilla campaign" to unseat him as the current front-runner in the Republican race for the 2016 nomination.
    I wonder if that "guerilla campaign" (5.00 / 1) (#12)
    by Mr Natural on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 09:25:48 AM EST
    planted the seeds of Trump's Cheneyfixation:

    "We have to be strong," the candidate insisted. "You know, they don't use waterboarding over there, they use chopping off people's heads, they use drowning people."

    "I would bring it back, I think waterboarding is peanuts compared to what they do to us," he opined. "I would absolutely bring back interrogation and strong interrogation."



    Parent
    Yeah (none / 0) (#7)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 09:04:15 AM EST
    I saw this the other day. There was an article in the WSJ that laid out the plans to do this led by Liz Maier. Of course, she's the same inept person that got fired from the Scott Walker campaign IIRC. I think it was Bush, Rubio and Kasich going full on with Trump. All I have to say is if it takes Trump down it's going to be a murder/suicide with those three killing off themselves as well.

    Parent
    Yeah..it was the inability of the 'insiders' to (5.00 / 2) (#13)
    by ruffian on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 09:26:07 AM EST
    come up with a decent candidate that opened the door for Trump to begin with. They have had 8 years to groom someone as a plausible national leader, and they have spend it burning down the House.

    Parent
    The establishment (5.00 / 4) (#15)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 09:32:21 AM EST
    Created Trump.   They deified him for decades.  Making pilgrimages to kiss his ring for his support.   The lied to and whipped up their ignorant low information base.   They have done everything to make Donald possible.  And now the chickens are coming home to roost.  

    Karma is a b!tch.

    Parent

    Oh man, do I have a great reply that (none / 0) (#18)
    by ruffian on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 09:36:58 AM EST
    would probably get me banned for a thread.

    Parent
    On a safer subject (none / 0) (#22)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 09:47:32 AM EST
    Are you watching The Leftovers?  Wow.  I go back and forth that it is the greatest thing ever or it has gone completely off the rails.   Or possibly both.
    Last nights episode was just jaw dropping.  I have never seen dream imagery done more effectively.   But he was not asleep but dead.   Honestly it made me fear death for the first time.
    Like, OMG, what if it's really like THAT!

    It's so different from the first season.  And like it was intended to be.  Take the theme/credits music.  And the credits themselves.  They are so completely diametrically opposite from the first season, the music, the imagery the feeling.   It was so jarring I didn't like it at first but now it get it.  It was a warning.  This is a new deal.  

    This is definitely a love it or hate it thing I'm thinking.

    And I think I love it.


    Parent

    I should, if you love it so much. (none / 0) (#25)
    by ruffian on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 09:53:10 AM EST
    Maybe a binge over the holiday weekend. Seems wrong to not be watching HBO at all these days.

    Do you watch Homeland? Carrie figured something out last night....

    Parent

    I don't have SHO (none / 0) (#28)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 09:56:28 AM EST
    Homeland wasn't enough and I needed to cut someplace.   I will definitely do it at some point.   In some format.

    Parent
    Just to make the point (none / 0) (#33)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 10:10:12 AM EST
    FIRST SEASON CREDITS

    SECOND SEASON CREDITS

    both are great.   But could they be more different?

    Parent

    wow. nope, they could not be! (none / 0) (#44)
    by ruffian on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 10:52:04 AM EST
    I know I have heard of the Tom Perotta books...wonder if I even have them, was maybe given them as a gift a long time ago and never read. Just wondering how close the series stays to the books - I see Perotta is still on the 2nd season credits.

    Parent
    Supposedly (none / 0) (#46)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 11:03:52 AM EST
    The first season followed the book pretty closely.   But ended where the books ended.
    This is from an IGN review-


    GAAAHHHHHH

    Wow.

    Welp. Another "10." Sorry, folks. I can only bend with the breeze here. What a phenomenal episode. And one I think may be the first truly polarizing chapter of this second season. I get the feeling - even though Season 2 has been way less divisive than Season 1 - that this episode, "International Assassin," may be too much for some. Because this showed us a very specific, detailed version of an afterlife. Or a limbo. Not unlike some of the ideas toyed with during the final season of Lost. And, well, we know how many fans felt about the way that show ended.

    -

    The Verdict
    "International Assassin" was Leftovers getting Lost. And I mean that as a compliment, from someone who loved lost and didn't hate the way it ended. Though this type of sideways-world worked even better here, on The Leftovers, because the show itself is different and lends itself more to this type of comic postulation. I was glued to every moment of this one. And then extremely moved by the end featuring a young, broken version of Patti. "She's not a child," Kevin insisted. "Yes, she is," said the mystery man, recognizing that the wounded little girl was Patti's true self.

    LINK

    Parent

    I just finished House of Cards (none / 0) (#55)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 11:58:46 AM EST
    And was wondering what to do next.

    I think I've got it.

    LOST

    which I've never seen.   I've intentionally avoided it because it was such a phenom.   But I think it's time.

    Parent

    Have you watched Deadwood yet? (none / 0) (#72)
    by ruffian on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 12:45:59 PM EST
    One of my favorites.

    I avoided Lost for the same reason...but now there are so many episodes...those regular network series are so hard to catch up on, and there is so much filler to do 22 eps a season. Not sure I can take that on.

    Parent

    I have not (none / 0) (#105)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 04:06:34 PM EST
    But it's on the list.    I saw random episodes but only a few.

    Yeah, I was thinking that if LOST hooks me it will keep me going all winter.   Especially since I throw in the occaisional movie for a break.

    Parent

    Oooh, you need to see Deadwood. Really. (none / 0) (#109)
    by ruffian on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 04:39:44 PM EST


    Parent
    I know (none / 0) (#113)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 04:54:48 PM EST
    Is it better that Jesus falling off the cross and nearly killing Frank Underwood right after being spat on?

    That is my favorite moment so far.

    "I've got gods ear now!"

    I may have said this before but Carnival, the now ancient HBO series, is also a must see.

    Parent

    hahaha, tough call, but (none / 0) (#115)
    by ruffian on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 05:01:30 PM EST
    I think there are situations and lines in Deadwood that top even that.

    Carnival - thanks for the reminder. Missed that one.

    Parent

    Howdy, I know you haven't seen (none / 0) (#21)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 09:47:09 AM EST
    all the videos of Obama voters being interviewed after the elections.

    They make low information look high.

    Which only proves that one man's dupe is another's Einstein.

    Parent

    There are stupid and (5.00 / 1) (#67)
    by MKS on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 12:34:09 PM EST
    uninformed people who vote for both Republicans and Democrats.  There are millions of people after all who vote.

    The difference is that conservatives celebrate ignorance, and the Republican leaders themselves are often ignorant and uninformed.

    Parent

    Oh hooey (none / 0) (#85)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 02:07:59 PM EST
    The difference is that conservatives celebrate ignorance, and the Republican leaders themselves are often ignorant and uninformed.

    You are your own father.

    Parent

    OK Jim... (5.00 / 2) (#92)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 02:51:38 PM EST
    ...remind us all how they found WMD's in Iraq.

    Parent
    They found about 5000 (none / 0) (#180)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 04:06:45 PM EST
    as was reported in the NYT. At that point they were old and unstable so they probably weren't usable was weapons.

    But their existence, at some point, helped fuel the situation.

    Plus, the #2 guy in Saddam's air force said the WMD's had been moved to Syria just before the invasion, and David Kay backed him up.

    There is ample evidence of movement to Syria before the war -- satellite photographs, reports on the ground of a constant stream of trucks, cars, rail traffic across the border. We simply don't know what was moved," Kay said.

    But, he said, "the Syrian government there has shown absolutely no interest in helping us resolve this issue."



    Parent
    At the other end of the (none / 0) (#29)
    by Repack Rider on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 09:56:29 AM EST
    ...educational scale:

    Democrats lead by 22 points (57%-35%) in leaned party identification among adults with post-graduate degrees. The Democrats' edge is narrower among those with college degrees or some post-graduate experience (49%-42%), and those with less education (47%-39%).  Across all educational categories, women are more likely than men to affiliate with the Democratic Party or lean Democratic. The Democrats' advantage is 35 points (64%-29%) among women with post-graduate degrees, but only eight points (50%-42%) among post-grad men.


    Parent
    You are saying that having a post graduate (none / 0) (#32)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 10:05:58 AM EST
    is evidence of intelligence.

    Given the conditions in many of our more liberal universities I am not presauded.

    It is a evidence of having a good memory.

    You love to discuss things concerning minorities. Do you remember the claim that streets smarts, demonstrated by someone with no degree, is a sign of high intelligence??

    And then we have the claim that Rap is poetry.

    Parent

    How do YOU measure intelligence? (5.00 / 1) (#38)
    by Repack Rider on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 10:25:42 AM EST
    I understand that a degree does not automatically confer intelligence (See: Carson, Dr. Ben).  I do not have a degree of any kind, flunked out of an easy junior college, but I managed to change the world more than most, and for the better.

    However, if the level of education is not a general indicator for you of intellectual acuity, please give us the scale you use outside of politics to identify the smart people from the less smart people.

    You love to discuss things concerning minorities. Do you remember the claim that streets smarts, demonstrated by someone with no degree, is a sign of high intelligence??

    No.  Please post a link.

    One observation I have made about "inner city" drug dealing thugs, of whom I have met a few.  The successful ones would probably have been successful in a "straight" job had one been available to them.  They understand marketing in the context of a hostile  environment, and they are lightning fast and accurate at arithmetic.

    Proof of the pudding is in the eating.  Fifteen years ago I hired two Black former drug dealers to work with me in my piano moving business, got them weeks out of prison.

    Last year they bought the business from me and they are doing well, because now they have a marketable skill and a context in which to sell it, both of which were lacking when and where they grew up.

    Parent

    How do I do what?? (none / 0) (#40)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 10:32:08 AM EST
    The argument re street smarts vs education was standard fare for years.

    I always found it dumb because it is obvious that some highly educated people are actually smart only in what they are "educated" in and some uneducated people are smart in their environment.

    Neither would do well in the other's world.

    Parent

    Yeah Street Smarts... (5.00 / 2) (#89)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 02:44:46 PM EST
    ...especially Jim's kind brought us GWB, Iraq, the economy collapsing, and bunch of folks who voted because they would like to drink a beer with a recovering alcoholic.

    I think Jim proves the point about intelligence more than any study or set of statistics could ever do.  Low information isn't exactly the problem, it lot of bad information voters.  I am thinking of the polls where they ask basic things like was Saddam behind 9/11, did Iraq have WMD's, is Obama a US citizen, you know the stuff that most 5th graders know, and bad information folks get wrong, aka the republican base.

    I don't know that is a sign of intelligence, but it certainly a sign of what kind of information they have decided to absorb, which at some level is a sign of intelligence in that they prefer 'facts' that back their political stand rather than actual facts.

    The 'Romney Wins' is one of my all time favorites because it was so easily proven to be just another right wing 'fact' that turned out to be like most of their propaganda, mislabeled as 'fact'.

    Parent

    Really Scott???? (none / 0) (#176)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 03:53:51 PM EST
    Let me see.... street smarts refer to uneducated people who, basically, live in he street.

    And you think they are Repubs?

    Really??

    lol

    And you worry about what kind of information they are exposed to?

    Parent

    I (none / 0) (#48)
    by FlJoe on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 11:15:56 AM EST
    am not sure having a PG degree is a perfect measure of intelligence(witness Ben Carson) but it's sure better then your judgement on some random clips of voter interview.

    Parent
    And exactly where did (none / 0) (#54)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 11:56:49 AM EST
    I agree??

    I mean speaking of intelligence...which includes reading comprehension....

    Parent

    "A good memory" (none / 0) (#50)
    by jondee on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 11:31:11 AM EST
    is an essential ingredient in order to avoid continuously repeating past mistakes; on a personal level and on a societal level.

    Only a person with a skewed, faulty ability to learn and retain information would so minimize the importance of a good memory.

    Of course, if one believes that all you that all you need to know in life is contained in the King James Bible and the memoirs of of General Patton..

    Parent

    jondee, given your (none / 0) (#53)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 11:51:43 AM EST
    continual saying that I have written things I have not I am hopeful that it is your memory, not your character, that has flaws.

    Parent
    Yes (5.00 / 1) (#64)
    by jondee on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 12:26:24 PM EST
    you've written many, many things in support of the right-conservative coalition, which includes as an integral faction, sorry to tell you, the most socially reactionary, illiberal people in American society.

    You also claim that Jimmy Carter somehow "birthed" Wahabism, the Taliban, and Al Queda..

    That type of skewed thinking and faulty memory is why many here recommend the benefits of higher education -- to avoid that sort of thing..

    And btw, it sin't a false "consensus" of Egytologist hoaxers who say Ben Carson is wrong about the pyramids, in case you're planning on promoting that view here at some point.

    Parent

    Carter did what Carter did (1.00 / 1) (#86)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 02:13:47 PM EST
    and the rest followed.

    And are you now saying that Egyptologist are involved in the MMGW hoax?? Makes as much sense as your other claims.

    And "higher education" corrects faulty memory??

    Can we bottle that? Riches will tumble upon us.

    lol

    Parent

    Carter did what Carter did (none / 0) (#87)
    by jondee on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 02:42:49 PM EST
    and you apparently don't remember anything else. Spare you the details..

    Including probably what Carter did.

    As I said, your motto is: when in doubt and thrashing around in the dark, blame a Democrat.

    Parent

    The 70's Jim... (none / 0) (#91)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 02:50:55 PM EST
    ...you really have to ignore a lot of republican F ups to get to Carter, even if what you said was anywhere near the truth.

    Not sure Carter has anything to do with the our current issue, which is without a doubt, a direct result of invading and toppling Saddam.  I know, the republicans won the war and Obama threw it away, but back in reality, that war was lost long before most of us knew who Obama was.

    Parent

    Scott (2.00 / 1) (#178)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 03:59:12 PM EST
    Carter created radical  Iran who seized our embassy.

    We in turn helped Iraq to invade Iran who, we believe was seeking hegemony in the Gulf oil market/states.

    That in turn led to Saddam believing he could do what he wanted so he invaded Kuwait...and all of this instability started when Carter failed to support the Shah.....

    Iran was the first radical theocracy.

    Think.

    Parent

    President Carter did nothing of the sort, Jim. (none / 0) (#194)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 06:30:09 PM EST
    jimakaPPJ: "Carter created radical Iran who seized our embassy."

    Good Lord, were you on some sort of a serious multi-year bender back in 1978-79? Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was overthrown by a popular revolution. Two weeks after the Shah fled Iran for Switzerland, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned in triumph from his own 14-year Paris exile to Teheran, where he proceeded to directly challenge the ineffectual interim government of Prime Minister Shapour Bakhtiar, who had been appointed by the Shah to rule the country in his absence.

    Bakhtiar's regime was quickly shoved aside to popular local acclaim, and the Ayatollah subsequently assumed absolute power. The notion that the Carter administration had the capacity to forestall and prevent that revolution, short of authorizing a full-scale U.S. military intervention on the Shah's behalf, is pure right-wing poppycock.

    In fact, Carter likely could have avoided the taking of hostages at the U.S. embassy altogether, had he ordered the Shah's arrest and subsequently turned him over to the Ayatollah's government, once the former Iranian ruler entered the United States for cancer treatment.

    Your willfully selective memory of historical events which occurred during your own adult lifetime is both absolutely stunning and totally pathetic.

    :-|

    Parent

    Hooey, Donald (none / 0) (#204)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 08:24:26 PM EST
    Quit trying to protect Carter. He did what he did.

    At the same time, support for the Shah may have waned among Western politicians and media - especially under the administration of U.S. President Jimmy Carter - as a result of the Shah's support for OPEC petroleum price increases earlier in the decade.[41] When President Carter enacted a human-rights policy which said countries guilty of human-rights violations would be deprived of American arms or aid, this helped give some Iranians the courage to post open letters and petitions in the hope that the repression by the government might subside.[42]


    Parent
    There are new polls out this morning (none / 0) (#9)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 09:14:11 AM EST
    That show him absolutely dominating.   Not just the head to head polls but the who do you think is best for "X".  Economy, immigration, terrorism, he is close to 50% and close to 30 ahead of everyone else.

    Voting starts in a couple of months.

    As a non republican it seems to me the big picture of a bunch of the also rans ganging up just makes them look weak and desperate.

    Parent

    I would (none / 0) (#10)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 09:22:28 AM EST
    say it definitely makes Bush and Kasich look weak and desperate. For Rubio considering he is polling better it makes him look like a tool of the GOP establishment.

    One of the points of the WSJ article was that the GOP establishment realizes time is running out. Therefore they are going fully Monty on him. Frankly I don't see it working. The Club for Growth tried to take him out in September to no avail. And now it's the holidays and people are going to be busy doing other things. I have to wonder how stupid are these people? If they take him out with this kind of stuff instead of letting the voters just not vote for him it's going to encourage him to run third party.

    Parent

    I think their problem is (none / 0) (#14)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 09:28:28 AM EST
    There is no indication whatever that voters will "just not vote for him".  Quite the opposite actually.  
    And not only is time running out I can't imagine Donald isn't gleeful at the idea of an establishment assault.   IMO it will only raise his appeal to republicans and push him over the line.

    Parent
    They are so desperate (5.00 / 1) (#17)
    by CST on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 09:36:41 AM EST
    If there's one thing that there are plenty of around here - it's establishment Republicans.  Today there is this article in the Globe.

    "For Republicans fearful of Donald Trump becoming their party's presidential nominee, a new Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll of likely New Hampshire Republican primary voters offers a three-word solution: Willard Mitt Romney.

    If the former Massachusetts governor were added to the mix of the 14 other Republican candidates running in the Feb. 9 first-in-the-nation presidential primary, New Hampshire voters would, if the election were held now, give him a 2-to-1 win over Trump, the leader of the field."

    Keep dreaming.

    Parent

    I at least want that poll trumpeted to the skies (5.00 / 1) (#19)
    by ruffian on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 09:39:26 AM EST
    so Trump hears Romney would trounce him.

    Parent
    That (none / 0) (#24)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 09:51:56 AM EST
    kind of statement makes me thing the GOP establishment has moved past worrying about winning the next electino to worrying about the long term damage Trump is doing to the party by ironically telling the truth. Does anybody truly think running Romney again would result in Romney winning in 2016?

    Parent
    The GOP should be worrying about (none / 0) (#31)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 09:58:54 AM EST
    it even surviving if it keeps on attacking  Trump.

    Of course, the question is, how much of this is true and how much is BS put out by Demos??

    Parent

    Donald (none / 0) (#36)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 10:18:35 AM EST
    is telling the truth about the xenophobia and racism in the GOP. Sorry you can't handle the truth and neither can the GOP elite it seems. You spend decades fleecing the rubes convincing them

    So the conspiracy theory is Scott Walker's former campaign person is a Democrat? Was Walker really a mole sent out to destroy the GOP? I'm not up to date on the latest wacko theories.

    Parent

    What The Adams Family wrote (none / 0) (#37)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 10:25:05 AM EST
    And the Demos have been busy picking the Repubs candidate for years and years.

    lol

    Parent

    I hate to tell (5.00 / 3) (#49)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 11:27:44 AM EST
    you but what Adams Family was talking about had nothing to do with Trump but then you wouldn't understand anyway. It had more to do with urban vs. rural.

    The GOP has spent decades telling people that they are going to be rich tomorrow if they'll just believe in trickle down. Kind of ironic they are now realizing the GOP has been lying to them since it hasn't materialized. It's always someone else's fault with the GOP. Hence the Donald's rise in the primary. He's just saying out loud what the majority of Republicans believe, no code words, no dog whistles just loud and clear for everybody. You can no longer get away with pretending to be things you are not.

    Parent

    GA, and the Demos use to call my (none / 0) (#63)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 12:25:00 PM EST
    mother every election cycle and tell her that if she didn't vote for them she would lose her Social Security and Medicare.

    So your point is what?? That politicians lie??

    Why yes. Yes, "You can keep your doctor," they do.

    And yes, Trump is saying what many people feel. They feel betrayed and ignored.

    And your bigotry position re "rural" is not surprising.

    Parent

    The trouble with the Trumps (5.00 / 2) (#68)
    by jondee on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 12:38:10 PM EST
    of the world is that that's all they do: appeal to how people "feel"..and studiously avoid stimulating and engaging anyone's intellect and problem solving abilities..

    Come to think f it, that's exactly how the NRA, the televangelists, and talk radio operate as well..

    Parent

    Considering the (none / 0) (#77)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 01:26:13 PM EST
    fact that the current house speaker supports eliminating Medicare and Social Security maybe they were seeing into the future.

    You can keep your own doctor. There's nothing stopping you from going to the same doctor you have been going to forever.

    Stating the that something linked to is urban vs rural is bigotry? ROTFLMAO. Really where do you get the crazy stuff from? The fact of the matter is you can't win a presidential election with rural voters. There just aren't enough of them.

    Look I know why people vote Republican. They vote Republican because their hatred of minorities is their overriding voting issue.

    Parent

    Who said I, or even the rank and file, (none / 0) (#84)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 02:06:10 PM EST
    Repubs and/or Tea Party folks support the current speaker??

    And Obama lied. And no amount of parsing changes that.

    As you well know, I support a single payer system. And if you ever ventured out into the real world you would be surprised how many Demos and Repubs and Indies also do.

    Only an Obamabot thinks Obamacare is a solution.

    Parent

    Your (5.00 / 1) (#95)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 03:20:45 PM EST
    overriding issue is the same as every other Republican. Quit hiding behind the "I support single payer" nonsense. There's a candidate who supports that yet I don't see you advocating for him. You are advocating for candidates that want the polar opposite of that.

    Ryan could not be the speaker without some tea party support. So yeah, at least some of them support him.

    Parent

    Something to keep in mind...... (5.00 / 1) (#62)
    by NYShooter on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 12:24:52 PM EST
    In the last General Election approximately 130 million voters cast their ballots.

    In the last Republican Primary approximately 1-1/2 million votes were cast.

    So, The Donald's "blowout" lead is based on .003 percent of total voters. (or, less than one third, 450K, of Republican, primary voters.)

    In other words, his numbers reflect the very early, knee jerk, gut reactions of under one third of the bigoted, reactionary, ultra-low  information voters that make up a teeny, tiny, miniscule number of ultimate total voters.

    But, sadly, because of the Primary structure, that just might be enough for him to capture the nomination.

    THAT is what has the Party elders panicking. And, that is why Mitt Romney's name is being floated these days.

    Personally, as a Democratic voter, I'll be keeping a nervous eye on this development. Say what you will, Mitt Romney came dangerously close to making Barack Obama a one term President last time around.

    Parent

    Or (none / 0) (#94)
    by jbindc on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 03:17:46 PM EST
    this

    Parent
    To be accurate (none / 0) (#43)
    by CoralGables on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 10:44:03 AM EST
    There was no pledge by anyone not to run as a 3rd party candidate.

    The pledge that everyone signed in SC said they would support the eventual GOP nominee.

    Trump isn't the first in the field to hint he may not abide by that pledge. Several GOP Presidential Primary candidates have already said they would not support Trump if he was the eventual nominee. Obviously those have made little headlines.

    Parent

    To talk about terrorism (none / 0) (#20)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 09:41:46 AM EST
    I spent quite a bit of time back in the late 60's in Brussels doing some stuff for the DoS.

    There was a dust up that led to a bomb going off in some US sponsored quasi government agency. Sorry, can't remember which one.

    One person was killed.

    The terrorists issued an apology.

    I was also in Brussels when RFK was killed by what we now know was a radical islamists.

    What? Sirhan (5.00 / 4) (#51)
    by Towanda on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 11:41:39 AM EST
    was raised a Palestinian Christian.  Not a convert then or since, from what I can see.

    (He did "convert," if you will, to Arab socialism.)

    Your evidence that he was a Muslim in '68?  Or since?

    Parent

    The funnier part of his comment (none / 0) (#57)
    by shoephone on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 12:11:58 PM EST
    is that he now claims to have worked for the State Department in the 1960's.

    Parent
    uh,no shoephone (none / 0) (#114)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 04:59:21 PM EST
    you are displaying a terminal inability to understand  what is written. Which leads you to make wild claims which makes you look bad;

    I was doing some stuff for the DOS in Brussels. That doesn't mean I was a DoS employee.

    I had just flown in from Moscow where I had been doing some stuff for the DOS there.

    Stayed at the Hotel Ukraine. Early depression decor in the rooms and the radio only had an on/off/volume switch. Terrible service in the restaurant at breakfast.

    Went shopping at GUM on Red Square...Saw about 500 suits all the same color, size and style.

    Ah the benefits of central planning. And no, I didn't get invited to Section 10. Did get a nice carving of a Russian bear and lacquered box within a box within a box... Can't remember the name they have for them.

    Enjoyed some great beer and cheese in Brussels. Saw the little boy peeing in the square.. what was left of the World's Fair. Discovered I had enjoyed some horse meat... very lean and kinda tough..but okay with three or four glasses of a red. Stayed at the Westbury, which has since burned. The corp I was with had their own floor. One one trip I stayed for a while at a small pension. Meals were included. Great great food.

    Very interesting trips. You should get away from Seattle more...Get a job requiring travel.
    ;-)

    Parent

    Well, I've traveled quite a bit (5.00 / 2) (#128)
    by shoephone on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 11:07:54 PM EST
    Jimmy boy. Been all over the U.S., all over SE Asia, been to Europe, Mexico...

    Poor Jimmy. Keep on changing your story, hoping somebody will be impressed. Sadly, nobody is. But this part had me in stitches: "Went shopping at GUM on Red Square." LOL.

    Parent

    shoephone thanks for (none / 0) (#183)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 04:29:34 PM EST
    demonstrating why I won't reveal any details re my 10 years in Naval Aviation.

    No matter what I say you just try and insult. I say try because I enjoy you proving what you are.

    And I am sorry that in all your travel you learned nothing and even worse, didn't get to go to fountain of your beliefs, the Soviet Union.

    And BTW, just so you don't pull something and make a later false claim, I did not say I was in the Navy during those trips. (Can't be too careful when dealing with people like you.)

    BTW, I flew into Moscow on Aeroflot out of Heathrow. Typical of the Soviets.. the aircraft was a converted bomber e/w with a plastic bubble for silent navigation by "shooting the  stars" and bomb bay doors.

    The "plastic" of the interior was poor but the vodka was excellent.

    And yes, the "grand mothers" swept the streets. Cleanest city I have ever seen.

    Oh, did I mention I went to the ballet and the circus?? The former bored the heck out of me but the circus was so so.

    Oh yeah, got a tour of Lenin's home. Saw about a million crows on the way up has to be their national bird... Very interesting. Had to take my shoes off and wear slippers my guide provided.

    Parent

    Jim, were you a naval aviation spy? (none / 0) (#191)
    by fishcamp on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 06:22:13 PM EST


    Parent
    Double 0 zero (none / 0) (#192)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 06:28:52 PM EST


    Parent
    No doubt, he's the inspiration for Austin Powers. (none / 0) (#195)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 06:33:09 PM EST
    Shagadelic, baby!

    Parent
    I (5.00 / 2) (#199)
    by FlJoe on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 06:57:14 PM EST
    Was thing more Maxwell Smart.

    Parent
    fishcamp (none / 0) (#207)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 08:48:43 PM EST
    You've outed me.

    lol...

    No, as I noted to shoe my adventures in the Soviet Union and Brussels were post Naval Aviation.

    Howdy - Give me your email and I'll send you my description of Brussels's "blue light" district.

    Donald - I also spent a lot of time in HI. We had a warehouse near the airport. Did a lot of business in Kauai as well Oahu ..loved Princeville resort..There was a bar past Princeville towards Hanalei known as the Aussie Bar.. Had a sign that said "When the door is open the bar is open." Humans may have thought they owned it but it was really owned by a very large tomcat who would jump up on the bar and demand a sip of your beer. If you didn't pour him a sip he'd try and knock your bottle over...Probably died of kidney failure

    Don't know how I missed you...But I am thankful I did.

    ;-)

    Parent

    Blahblahblah (none / 0) (#209)
    by shoephone on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 09:01:44 PM EST
    You won't say what you did because you did nothing. Old age has made you bitter and you can't stand how irrelevant you were, and how irrelevant you still are.

    You write about your so-called experience of "doing stuff for the DoS" like you read about landmarks in a travel guide and then simply regurgitated it  (badly) here. Flights of fancy.

    The pathetic last throes of your pathetic, unfulfilled life.

    Go read some more Ian Fleming, Jim, and fantasize it's you in the starring role.

    Parent

    Zzzzzzzzz. (none / 0) (#26)
    by lentinel on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 09:53:12 AM EST
    British Prime Minister David Cameron announced Monday he will ask for parliamentary approval to aid France's airstrikes on ISIS extremists in Syria.

    Cameron later wrote on Facebook that he and French President Francois Hollande want to "work together to rid the world of this evil terrorist threat."


    Translation:

    "We're sinking in the polls because we have done nothing to improve the quality of life for our constituents, so we will strut and pose and look concerned and drop bombs in the hopes that we will hold on to our jobs."

    I do have Belgian ancestors (none / 0) (#47)
    by ruffian on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 11:05:18 AM EST
    on my grandmother's side...I hope some blood relatives are there posting the kitties.

    In my hippy backpack thing (none / 0) (#56)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 12:03:32 PM EST
    I arrived and departed from Luxembourg.    I remember it only as one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen.

    Parent
    We had people in Tontelange (none / 0) (#60)
    by ruffian on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 12:22:36 PM EST
    and, my favorite, Schockville, both not far from Luxembourg City

    Parent
    an alleged fox poll (none / 0) (#61)
    by zaitztheunconvicted on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 12:24:41 PM EST
    an alleged fox poll is out claiming that Rubio is ahead of Clinton 50 to 42 and his lead against her is the strongest of the poss Rep candidates . . .

    Do you folks think it is fabricated?

    I could see it if people believe he would handle ISIS better, because I believe the actions and words of Ob and hrc on ISIS have been idiotic . . . but there is also another poll out which claims that voters believe that HRC is the best at handling at terrorism, compared to all the others . . .

    The economy is the best of all possible worlds pending the likely minor crash in 5 or 10 years . . .

    I don't see any way for Rubio to complain on economic grounds--at least, not successfully.

    Well Since Romney Isn't President... (5.00 / 1) (#100)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 03:32:26 PM EST
    ...I am going to go out on a limb and say their pols might favor republicans a tad.

    Parent
    All the newest FOX polls (none / 0) (#70)
    by jbindc on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 12:43:48 PM EST
    Have ALL of the Republican candidates beating Clinton, except Fiorina, who is tied.

    I think there's something fishy with their numbers.  

    Parent

    I would guess that (5.00 / 2) (#78)
    by Chuck0 on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 01:27:04 PM EST
    Fox only polls Fox viewers. Certainly HRC would be losing amongst a majority of Fox viewers.

    Parent
    They're all (none / 0) (#79)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 01:29:12 PM EST
    complaining about the economy because the majority of Republican voters think that unemployment is higher today than it was in 2009 when Obama took office.

    Hillary will make mincemeat of Rubio in a general election and then he has Republicans that won't show up to vote for a minority.

    Parent

    Hypothetical (none / 0) (#117)
    by FlJoe on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 05:16:37 PM EST
    Head to Head polls, especially this far out, are pretty useless. Anybody who thinks that Hillary will only hit the low forty's against anybody does not know politics at all.

    I don't know what model Fox used, but the raw numbers look like they oversampled Republicans and who knows how their Independents skewed.

    This polling on terrorism indeed is interesting

    The Washington Post-ABC News poll out Monday asked Americans if they would trust Clinton or one of five Republican candidates more. She led Trump 50% to 42%, Carson 49% to 40%, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz 47% to 40%, and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio 47% to 43%.

    Leading me to two observations:
    It's not for nothing she wore the hawk feathers all this time.
    The Republican hate mongering is ironically playing to her strong points.

    Parent

    man in high castle, ep #7 (none / 0) (#69)
    by zaitztheunconvicted on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 12:38:43 PM EST
    the man in the high castle is so interesting and fun . . .

    I am now i ep #7 . . . Two Jews are talking about their approach to living and life.  One is a Jew with faith and the other is a undeclared unthinking Jew.

    "I have to say; I don't understand you."

    "Yeah; why is that?"

    "This is who I am.  This is who my ancestors were.  I am not going to let them take that away from me."

    "And you think it's worth dying for?"

    "You can't live your life in fear."

    "Htiler and the Nazis . . .I don't care how it looks; they won't last.  One thing I realize about my people is that we have a sense of time.  These may be dark years, but we will survive.  We always do.

    Just find something to hold on to."

    "Faith, you mean."

    "Yeah, faith."

    "I don't find much of that here."

    "What about art?  You are supposed to be an artist.  Why are you making fake guns?"

    "Beauty is important, Frank; it gives us hope."

    "I don't know; I don't know where it would get me."

    "You've got your own little inner fascist right there, telling you what you can and cannot do.  That is how you let them win."

    On the rich getting richer (none / 0) (#93)
    by shoephone on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 03:07:51 PM EST
    and scrooging the poor.

    LATimes (none / 0) (#104)
    by sj on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 03:50:32 PM EST
    won't let me past without paying :(

    Parent
    Try a different browser (none / 0) (#108)
    by shoephone on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 04:36:40 PM EST
    That's what I do when I've exhausted my free looks for the month.

    Basically, the study results are that rich people donate less money when they perceive the income gap between rich and poor to be wider. Somehow, not surprising. It boils down to the old motto of rich and conservative people: "I got mine, now scr*w you."

    Parent

    Someone Else Suggested... (none / 0) (#111)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 04:47:43 PM EST
    ...clearing out cookies or opening it in an incognito tab.

    Parent
    Or change your IP address (none / 0) (#123)
    by Zorba on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 06:41:17 PM EST
    (After clearing your cookies and history.)
    Usually, just unplugging your modem for 5 or 10 minutes (or sometimes longer) will do it.
    Or use your smart phone/laptop/tablet in a coffee shop or other place with free WiFi (heck, even McDonalds has free WiFi).
    There are other ways to change your IP address, but I'm not a techie, so you'd have to look those up.


    Parent
    I did both the browser (none / 0) (#157)
    by sj on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 12:07:28 PM EST
    and the clearing cookies thing. Changing IP address seems to be the best bet, but not with this computer. I'll try to have a second look at home :(

    Parent
    She, you've probably made it to the (none / 0) (#193)
    by fishcamp on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 06:29:49 PM EST
    LA Times no fly list.  It's subscribe or nada.

    Parent
    the new attack on Ben Carson (none / 0) (#96)
    by zaitztheunconvicted on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 03:23:49 PM EST
    I see that there is some sort of goofball attack on Ben Carson . . .

    Supposedly Carson wrote a book on the Constitution  . . .

    Supposedly Carson in the book said that Jefferson had crafted it . . .

    Supposedly there were people other than Jefferson who wrote it up such as Madison and Hamilton . . . together with a bunch of other delegates to a so-called and alleged "Constitutional Convention" presided over by hypothetically important persons . . .

    and of course, everybody is forgetting that Jefferson did write drafts for a Virginia constitution . . .

    and I cannot imagine why there is so much concern about exactly which constitution of which we are speaking here . . .  Jefferson did write a draft of a constitution at some point and it has several important similarities to "our" US constitution, the one that the SCOTUS uses in making rulings or so we hope . . .

    So, is there a big deal here?  This is no belt buckle story or breaking knife story . . .  This is a fact checker gone beserko . . .

    re recent recreation other than high castle (none / 0) (#102)
    by zaitztheunconvicted on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 03:35:31 PM EST
    without mentioning the specific link . . . I did get a bit caned yesterday and wrote a few paragraphs of commentary and thought on cultural perceptions of getting caned at a certain unnamed blog . . .  of course, one that is related to a certain lake, but otherwise unknown . . .

    Seattle does have an annual giant halloween party called Pulse and I missed it this year visiting with a fun sign about caning . . . but I think will plan ahead better next year . . .

    Or, maybe my "costume" for Pulse should be as the Greenlake nude guy!  Ha!

    Maybe I will have interesting stores to tell!

    By the way, there are many different degrees of severity of caning . . .  the caning done in Singapore and Malaysia for punishment is lots worse than what people do in the US, in terms of the severity of any given stroke . . . but the number is far less in Singapore and may be far more in a US situation.  Lots of canings are done in the US without drawing blood.  I've read that the canings as done in Singapore can do permanent damage to the bod, which is not the usual result of US canings, where we just yell and scream a bit.

    And, now, back to our regularly scheduled weather report . . .  from zaitz, who is not a danger to himself or others . . . and whom the police do not need to take away, though once in a way there is a call about that . . .

    For the Record... (5.00 / 2) (#110)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 04:46:43 PM EST
    ...only psychotics declare they aren't a danger to anyone.

    Parent
    ha (none / 0) (#125)
    by zaitztheunconvicted on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 07:57:46 PM EST
    Ha, ha!

    I think there is a problem . . .

    There are some people who say they are not a danger to anyone, while they are speaking seriously to the police and the psychologist evaluating them . . .

    and there are a few persons who say, "I am not a danger to myself or others," with a smile, and hoping that you laugh and not caring whether or not you take me seriously . . . knowing that having a young lady swat my butt with cane or a whip till there are dozens of welts is not sufficient to cause police or psychological action . . .

    I'll let you know when I buy a tank to drive to work . . .  ;-)

    I am sure that the SPD will have an interest in that as well.

    Parent

    tattoo man convictions reversed (none / 0) (#126)
    by zaitztheunconvicted on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 08:13:57 PM EST
    a man named vargas was convicted of 3 sexual attacks/crimes.  The crimes were committed by a man with a teardrop tattoo on his face.

    Police arrested and prosecutors charged Vargas for the crimes.  Witnesses were uncertain but gradually came to claim it was him based on his having a teardrop tattoo on his face . . .

    "This was a shaky witness identification case," said attorney Alex Simpson, of the California Innocence Project. "This happens all the time. It is the No. 1 factor in wrongful convictions across the country."

    Jurors disregarded Vargas' alibi witnesses, including the manager of a bagel shop, who said he was working there the mornings of the attacks.

    turns out that dna says that vargas was innocent and that the rapes were done by another fellow who is currently a fugitive and who has a teardrop tattoo on his face . . .

    Eyewitness identification (5.00 / 1) (#141)
    by Chuck0 on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 10:11:24 AM EST
    is notoriously unreliable. And, amongst Hispanics, teardrop tattoos are not uncommon. I'm not sure of the significance, but my many years in San Diego saw many of them.


    Parent
    It ofyen (none / 0) (#142)
    by jbindc on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 10:16:22 AM EST
    (But not always) has something to do with prison.

    Parent
    Eddie Redmayne (none / 0) (#127)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 09:08:12 PM EST
    Is a helluvan actor.   From becoming Hawking to the scenery chewing villains in Jupiter Ascending and now a lovely girl in The Danish Girl.   The story of the first sex reassignment surgery.

    REVIEW

    TRAILER

    confession time (5.00 / 1) (#153)
    by CST on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 11:47:24 AM EST
    I am a huge Les Miserables fan, the book, the musical, you name it. Needless to say, when the film came out I was very excited.  I thought he killed it as Marius, and gave probably the best main character performance of all of them.  And Marius is one of my least favorite characters in the story.

    Anyway, after that movie came out I went on a bit of a Eddie Redmayne binge watching thing, where I saw a lot of his old films that were on netflix.  It was a long, strange journey but it was worth it, IMO.  Helluvan actor is right, and has made some interesting choices in his career already.  I can't say I loved them all, but I definitely wasn't bored.

    Parent

    Ditto - you probably found his Masterpiece Theater (none / 0) (#161)
    by ruffian on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 01:17:25 PM EST
    work. Always wonderful there too.

    Parent
    If either of you (none / 0) (#164)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 01:38:54 PM EST
    Have not seen Jupiter Ascending it's worth the slog just for his performance.

    Wonderful slithery evil.

    Parent

    You get a taste of Balem Abrasax (none / 0) (#165)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 01:43:57 PM EST
    in this trailer

    It's the Wachoskies.  It's has some interesting ideas.

    Parent

    Agreed. Eddie Redmayne (none / 0) (#181)
    by KeysDan on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 04:22:29 PM EST
    is a great actor.  My initiation to his talent was John Logan's play "Red" in which he played Ken, the young assistant to Mark Rothko (Alfred Molina).  A wonderful two-man play about the struggle to complete the murals for NYC's Four Seasons Restaurant.  

    Parent
    excellent articulation (none / 0) (#129)
    by The Addams Family on Mon Nov 23, 2015 at 11:23:35 PM EST
    here about what's wrong with demanding that "moderate" Muslims confront or denounce or otherwise "do something" about ISIS & other strains of (Sunni) Islamist terrorism

    Being part of Muslim families and communities, ex-Muslims not only receive the same bigoted treatment as other Muslims, but are also persecuted (often severely) by Muslims who consider them heretics and apostates.

    Ex-Muslims often find themselves caught between the anti-Muslim bigotry of the far right that demonizes all Muslims, and the apologism of the far left that conflates any legitimate criticism of Islam with "bigotry" or "Islamophobia."

    Many ex-Muslims feel betrayed by their liberal counterparts in the West. The fight against Islamic jihad should come from a position of moral strength, not xenophobic bigotry. This is a fight that liberals should take on themselves before it's hijacked by the far right.

    precisely

    #ExMuslimBecause

    Kid who brought homemade clock to school (none / 0) (#131)
    by McBain on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 01:31:49 AM EST
    seeking 15 million for being mistreated.

    I'm not sure what Ahmed Mohamed's laywers are complaining about?  Didn't he get to meet the president?  

    They're still calling it a homemade clock. (none / 0) (#163)
    by Mr Natural on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 01:37:38 PM EST
    It was not.

    Parent
    It was one of his "inventions" (none / 0) (#170)
    by McBain on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 02:26:58 PM EST
    whatever it was, it did look suspicious.  

    Unless this kid was physically injured, I don't see how he should get millions.  Sounds more like ill-timed extortion.

    Parent

    Site violator (none / 0) (#133)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 05:26:15 AM EST


    Trump 25 Cruz 23 (none / 0) (#137)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 08:06:21 AM EST
    New Iowa Quinnipiac has Ted jumping 13 and Ben dropping 10

    Ben confused New Jersey (none / 0) (#140)
    by CoralGables on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 09:34:30 AM EST
    with the Middle East. Even the hardcore GOP in Iowa can see that once you get past brain surgery Carson is no rocket scientist.

    Parent
    I am at the point of proposing a new rule (none / 0) (#143)
    by ruffian on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 10:50:57 AM EST
    The determination of who will have to pay this penalty can be made by Vegas oddsmakers when they announce their candidacy. Those that run vanity campaigns must donate to charity an amount of money equal to the time and money expended following them around, writing stories about them, giving them room on a debate stage, and in general wasting everyone's time, not to mention campaign contributions.

    There has to be a price to pay for this nonsense, since embarrassment is no obstacle.

    Parent

    Well If Carson Cared About His Dignity... (none / 0) (#146)
    by ScottW714 on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 11:05:18 AM EST
    ...he paid a huge price, but that seems unlikely.

    At least he isn't digging in like Trump and declaring that it was all over the news which no one can find, that hundreds of people called him even though phone lines were not working, that he was walking around in NJ after the attacks, apparently right down in the NJ Arab neighborhoods, Patterson specifically, all by himself.

    Parent

    What Digby tweeted.... (5.00 / 1) (#147)
    by ruffian on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 11:10:33 AM EST
    "Remember when the press said Al Gore was a pathological liar throughout the 2000 election? yeah, they had no trouble saying it."

    Ah, the liberal media, still at work....

    Parent

    Yes, and Ben Carson said (5.00 / 1) (#182)
    by KeysDan on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 04:27:39 PM EST
    he saw "newsreels" of those American Muslims in New Jersey celebrating 9/11. Did not say if Lowell Thomas was narrating.  I would have believed this story, if he said that he and Trump saw this on Fiorina's TV.  But, newsreels?  

    Parent
    He also (none / 0) (#148)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 11:11:48 AM EST
    A few days ago tweeted some outrageously wrong statistics about crime that was taken from a white supremacist website.

    He was called on it.   Everyone hyperventilated for a few days.   He didn't take the tweet down or even comment on it.   It's still up.

    This New Jersey thing will not hurt him.  

    Parent

    Even Ted Cruz (none / 0) (#149)
    by jbindc on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 11:15:01 AM EST
    is distancing himself from his new BFF

    Parent
    There was celebrating (none / 0) (#159)
    by NYShooter on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 12:55:21 PM EST
    but, it was Palestinians in Jerusalem.

    Parent
    I Get the Feeling... (none / 0) (#150)
    by ScottW714 on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 11:20:47 AM EST
    ...not backing down is surely a sign of his machismo, doesn't matter if he is right or wrong, he isn't bowing down to anyone, and that is a trait his fans like.

    Carson is weak for admitting he was wrong.

    Parent

    If I Am Not Mistaken... (none / 0) (#152)
    by ScottW714 on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 11:22:30 AM EST
    ...one of our right wing commenters was passing those very statistics around here a couple of weeks ago.

    Parent
    Yes (none / 0) (#158)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 12:18:27 PM EST
    And yesterday Donald produced a Washington post article from a few days after the attack that basically said the same thing.    With the only difference being the number of celebrating Muslims.

    Now, do we actually think that an argument over the number of celebrating Muslims is going to be a problem for him?

    "We" do not.

    Parent

    I don't (none / 0) (#160)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 12:59:59 PM EST
    think anything that the press said would make a difference. Nothing the GOP elite say is going to make a difference and certainly nothing the Democrats say is going to make a difference. The Donald is bulletproof when it comes to his followers. He's created his own minions who vote.

    Parent
    You know (none / 0) (#155)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 12:03:51 PM EST
    Fox news was caught using fake footage of Muslims celebrating after 9/11. I don't know why no one can find it unless Fox burned their footage after they were caught.

    Parent
    Jurors won't be sequestered in Freddie Gray trial (none / 0) (#156)
    by McBain on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 12:06:28 PM EST
    Another bad decision

    BREAKING: Turkey has shot down ... (none / 0) (#162)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 01:33:08 PM EST
    ... a Russian warplane that it claims was repeatedly violating its airspace. Vladimir Putin calls the incident "a stab in the back, while President Obama says that Turkey has a right to defends its territorial integrity.

    Stay tuned.

    Today (none / 0) (#167)
    by CST on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 02:00:53 PM EST
    I put the insulation layer back on my coat (before I was just using a shell), and put on leggings underneath my pants.

    And so it has begun.

    On another note, I already miss daylight.

    "Cohen, director of seasonal forecasting for Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER) in Lexington, says early signs this year are pointing to an above-average snowfall for the Boston area. "But not like last year," he adds."

    Thank heavens for that.

    You Know Those Forecasters... (5.00 / 1) (#169)
    by ScottW714 on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 02:20:07 PM EST
    ...are always wrong, more snow for you.

    Speaking of sunlight, there was a group of us sitting around a campfire this weekend and I asked my friend what time it was.  The sun has set long ago and it was cold, for us, around 45 and super windy.  I was freezing.

    It was six fricken thirty.


    Parent

    My whole life (none / 0) (#171)
    by CST on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 02:34:26 PM EST
    I've found a way to enjoy winter.  Snow is pretty, I like to ski, 4 seasons, blah blah blah.

    Last winter broke me.  It broke everyone.  I've never seen the whole city as collectively depressed as we were last February.

    Trying to consider the upsides again...

    I walk home from work most nights, and I do my best to tough out the fall temperatures so that when it gets really cold I'll be prepared, but yesterday it dipped down into the low 30s.  I added the layers today.

    Parent

    My Brother Bought... (none / 0) (#172)
    by ScottW714 on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 02:50:24 PM EST
    ...a snowmobile 2 years ago, he has only had it out a couple times.  They got almost no snow last year, but miles of super cold weather.

    He, like you, is trying to make the best of it, but mother nature doesn't care.
    ----------------------

    Oh Yeah, F Tom Brady and his never ending wins even with a roster full of injured players.  I am so tired of hearing how good he is and great the Pats are.  He has to lose sometime...

    What was up with the refs blowing the whistle in the middle of the the Gronk catch anyways, they win even after the refs killed a probable TD.

    Parent

    That's cuz he's the GOAT (none / 0) (#173)
    by CST on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 02:56:57 PM EST
    I'll be the first to say that if I wasn't a Patriots fan I'd despise them.  But being as I have to root for them, I'll admit, I'm enjoying every bit of it.  This must be what it felt like to be a Yankees fan in the 90s.

    Also, I'm terrified that the answer to your "lose sometime" statement is "the Giants in the Superbowl".  Again.

    Parent

    From your lips... (none / 0) (#179)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 04:06:24 PM EST


    Parent
    "the Giants in the Superbowl" (none / 0) (#185)
    by TrevorBolder on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 05:00:51 PM EST
    It's a coming

    Parent
    Chicago (none / 0) (#184)
    by FlJoe on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 04:53:26 PM EST
    police officer charged with first degree murder for murder of teen.

    Chicago police are getting ready for protests (none / 0) (#190)
    by McBain on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 06:16:30 PM EST
    and possible riots. I just saw the dash cam video on CNN TV.  It wasn't as graphic has CNN had hyped but it didn't look like Laquan McDonald was  advancing towards the police right before he was shot.  

    If it's true McDonald was shot 16 times, it's going to be tough for the officer to justify the shooting.

    Parent

    If it's true McDonald was shot 16 times? (none / 0) (#198)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 06:50:46 PM EST
    That fact has been documented in both the Chicago Police Dept.'s dashcam video and the coroner's autopsy report on McDonald, with the latter describing the deceased's wounds in considerable detail.

    You've every right to your own opinion, McBain, but not the right to your own corresponding set of facts.

    And for those wingbats who'd otherwise hasten to point out that the autopsy report also noted the presence of PCP in the deceased's system, so phuquing what! Last I heard, a person taking PCP or other extralegal substances is still not legally subject to his or her own summary execution by local law enforcement.

    :-|

    Parent

    You can't tell from the video (none / 0) (#202)
    by McBain on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 08:00:08 PM EST
    How many times he was shot and exactly when all those shots occurred.  The autopsy and other forensic evidence will help with that.  If he was was shot 16 times and most of those shots happened after he was on the ground, it's going to be really difficult to justify the shooting.

    I don't think the PCP will matter much but it's been reported he waived a knife around and didn't comply with the officers instructions.  If true, that might justify the initial shots.  

    Parent

    The importance (none / 0) (#206)
    by Repack Rider on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 08:44:08 PM EST
    ...of the autopsy results showing that he was shot 16 times is that the CPD had claimed for over a year that the victim died of a single gunshot wound to the chest.

    Sixteen shots.  But the CPD doubled down on the one-shot story, even though the video, which many must have seen, shows it to be a lie.

    Would you agree that the official story of a single shot was an egregious, unforced, should-be-a-felony LIE?  Would you agree that the person who knew the truth and yet concocted that despicable lie to protect a murderer lie should never again get another tax-paid paycheck?

    Parent

    This is good news (none / 0) (#205)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 08:30:37 PM EST

    Discovery Channel Is Finally Breaking Up With Bad Science
    With "Racing Extinction," Discovery puts climate change center stage.

    To Repack (none / 0) (#208)
    by McBain on Tue Nov 24, 2015 at 08:58:29 PM EST
    I don't know anything about a single shot claim.  Do you have a link? I do know that a lot of people are upset that it took a year to charge the cop with murder. I also know Chicago elected officials have a reputation of being less than truthful.  

    I love it, shoe (none / 0) (#210)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Nov 25, 2015 at 09:16:05 AM EST
    You write about your so-called experience of "doing stuff for the DoS" like you read about landmarks in a travel guide and then simply regurgitated it  (badly) here. Flights of fancy.

    The thing about most Lefties, and Righties for that matter, is that they can't accept the fact that people that they disagree with had a life and did things.

    So first they demand details and when details emerge they accuse them of lying.

    Shoe, I did all those things and more. And it is so obviously more than you did...which is the basis of your jealousy...

    BTW - Did I mention that the public telephone system went down while I was in Moscow?? It just quit working. I asked some folks if this was usual but they didn't want to talk about "problems."

    Reminds me of Demos not wanting to talk about Obama's foreign policy.

    lol

    Have a super day.

    The talk radio-speak (none / 0) (#212)
    by jondee on Wed Nov 25, 2015 at 10:19:37 AM EST
    of knee jerk non-sequiturs and bumper sticker thoughts won't cut when it comes to discussing the history of U.S-Iranian relations..

    And the same goes for the non-thought involved in posing the false, black and white dichotomy of engagement vs "isolationism" based on nation's population numbers..

    Ludicrous.

     

    Jim, you are a sad, deluded man (none / 0) (#213)
    by shoephone on Wed Nov 25, 2015 at 10:24:41 AM EST
    Ain't nobody here jealous of you. Maybe you should  have a talk with your therapist, and start working it all out.

    Proof that travel with a mind shut like a steel (none / 0) (#214)
    by jondee on Wed Nov 25, 2015 at 10:29:33 AM EST
    trap is worse than no travel at all..

    As the ship owner said in Moby Dick, "Can't you see the world from where you stand?"

    Site violator (none / 0) (#216)
    by fishcamp on Wed Nov 25, 2015 at 12:50:20 PM EST


    Scott, you off all people shouldn't be talking (none / 0) (#217)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Nov 25, 2015 at 11:22:33 PM EST
    You have made up things I have never written time and time again.

    But I do thank you, jondee, shoephone, Donald and others for proving what you are.

    The opposition, in your bigoted mind, has never traveled, never been successful. What a dog's life you live, waiting to be told what to think, what to say.

    You hate people like Ben Carson because he is black and a conservative. If he embraced Obama and Hillary you would be fawning and screaming like teen age girls did over the Beatles.

    Your problem with me, and some other commentators, is that while I accept and promote some liberal positions, I rejected Obama and before him, Kerry because their foreign policy has killed thousands and thousands more will die.

    And shoe, you wanted information. I gave you information and now you won't accept it.

    As the man said....Be careful what you ask for.

    lol

    The joke's on you. Jim (none / 0) (#218)
    by shoephone on Wed Nov 25, 2015 at 11:26:19 PM EST
    Same as it ever was.

    Sunday Night Open Thread | 211 comments (211 topical)