home

Sunday Open Thread

We have such beautiful weather this weekend. It's hard to stay online.

Our last (non-sports) open thread is full. Here's a new one, all topics welcome.

< March Madness Day 3 | Captured Syrian Pilot Given to al Nusra >
  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


  • Display: Sort:
    Mass Media abuses our society (5.00 / 2) (#2)
    by CityLife on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 05:02:05 AM EST
    Look at the latest example: NBC fears viewers learn what Iran's Foreign Minister said to Ann Curry?
    If you think about it, it is just a matter of time before the media tries to sell another major war. Please check out the above video and share it.

    The last US forces have now left Yemen (5.00 / 4) (#3)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 09:57:30 AM EST
    Obama seems to have decided that he is pulling out of Shia Sunni religious wars.

    Game of Thrones (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 10:00:56 AM EST
    season 1 marathon today on HBO2.  Making sure there is room on the DVR.  It will be fun to see the whole thing again.

    Looks like sunday marathons till April 12th.

    Howdy, glad you're back, (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by fishcamp on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 10:11:29 AM EST
    your presence has been missed.  With that,  I'm going fishing.

    Parent
    Catch one for me (none / 0) (#7)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 10:12:40 AM EST
    Captain, hope (none / 0) (#8)
    by KeysDan on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 10:16:08 AM EST
    all is going, at least, reasonably well with family and that you are doing OK.

    Parent
    Thanks Dan (5.00 / 5) (#9)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 10:31:29 AM EST
    my sister is doing remarkably well.  She is still in the hospital but for the most part her old self again.  It's almost unbelievable.  

    Parent
    Wonderful news (5.00 / 2) (#20)
    by MO Blue on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 11:47:26 AM EST
    Maybe the positive thoughts and prayers helped.

    IMO throwing good vibes out into the universe never hurts.

    Parent

    Thank you for reminding me (none / 0) (#5)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 10:06:26 AM EST
    It will be fun to have on today doing chores.

    Parent
    It wasn't until last season... (none / 0) (#12)
    by McBain on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 11:05:34 AM EST
    that I began to slowly figure out who's who. It's refreshing to watch a show that doesn't dumb things down and explain itself in every episode.

    Parent
    A friend filled up my old iPod Nano (none / 0) (#19)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 11:38:37 AM EST
    with the audiobooks - I have been listening to the first one to refresh my memory and learn new things. Glad to find out they really are as good as people say. I am determined to figure out who Jon Snow's mother is without looking at forums.

    Parent
    Looking at forums... (none / 0) (#28)
    by unitron on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 12:27:27 PM EST
    ...won't necessarily help you figure out Jon's parentage, but it'll present you with lots of different theories to consider.

    Among which are that Eddard might have been economical with the truth regarding who Jon's father was.

    If you change your mind, allow me to recommend http://asoiaf.westeros.org/, which has a section for people who read the books and another section for those who're watching the show.

    Having not seen the show, I can only speak for the quality of the book side, but expect it's probably pretty good as well.

    There are, by the way, many other things in the books that aren't fully explained yet that get discussed there as well.

    Parent

    Just wondering again about his mother (none / 0) (#29)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 12:33:44 PM EST
    being one of the first questions posed in the very first episode.

    Parent
    Always imagined it might come down (none / 0) (#31)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 12:38:49 PM EST
    to him had the mother of dragons.  Fire and ice.  Right or wrong don't tell me.

    Parent
    There is a scene in the book where Ned (none / 0) (#41)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 01:55:10 PM EST
    tells King Robert her name... Is that in the show? Can't remember. In any event, the name is not obviously one of the named characters in the show so far. But if Ned was dissembling all bets are off and I may as well stop trying to figure it out. Which is why I rarely try to figure out stuff like this!

    One thing I did get so far that is not clear in the show is how young Jon and Rob are at the start - about 14. They sure seem a few years older in the show. Jon was born months after the slaying of the Targareon king. So mom could well be a Targareon, since Ned was off at war in that campaign when Jon  was conceived.

    Parent

    I believe MT has suggested as much (none / 0) (#55)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 04:09:08 PM EST
    having knowledge of the books.  Season 5 should kick butt.  

    Parent
    Ruffian (none / 0) (#57)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 04:12:04 PM EST
    i really think you would like the Walking Dead.  Once you get past the almost comedic, at this point, violence, it's the best drama running.   This season has been amazing.

    Parent
    Yea like GOT (none / 0) (#62)
    by ragebot on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 05:03:10 PM EST
    has so little graphic violence.

    Parent
    Maybe that will be my summer doldrums (none / 0) (#68)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 06:38:50 PM EST
    binge watch come July!

    I just don't like zombie stuff, but people tell me that stops being the point of the thing.

    Parent

    Honestly (none / 0) (#70)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 06:54:25 PM EST
    all seasons are not equal.  This one has been exceptional.  I think Emmys will agree.  At least for writing hopefully.

    Parent
    Ted Cruz to annoy CW for pres (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 10:45:01 AM EST
    Let the Cotton v Cruz food fight begin. Sell popcorn, this is going to be fun.

    Big autocorrect fail there. To announce ... (5.00 / 2) (#11)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 10:46:21 AM EST
    And probably annoy as well, come to think of it.

    Parent
    I didn't question the annoy (none / 0) (#13)
    by nycstray on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 11:05:59 AM EST
    just wondered about what CW means . . .

    Gawd, get ready for a mindless game of 'who can top this outrageously stupid idea' as the clown car starts rolling out. 10 months, eh? {head desk}

    Parent

    Good comedy (none / 0) (#17)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 11:33:55 AM EST
    though if you look at the bright side.

    Parent
    Not fun but scary (none / 0) (#14)
    by Politalkix on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 11:11:27 AM EST
    Jeb Bush will look like a liberal (even if he wants the US to invade Iran) by the time the Cotton-Cruz food fight gets over.

    Parent
    Hardly (none / 0) (#16)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 11:33:03 AM EST
    Jebya is going to have to compete for the same voters Cruz is. More likely Jebya starts sounding like Cruz than the other way around.

    Even with out Cruz in the race Jebya has announced that he is proud of praticing Sharia here in America.

    Parent

    Which is why Jebbie won't prevail; (none / 0) (#18)
    by Anne on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 11:35:15 AM EST
    I think it's going to be Rubio.

    Parent
    Off Topic (none / 0) (#21)
    by MO Blue on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 11:52:42 AM EST
    Any thoughts on Van Hollen vs Edwards in Maryland?

    Do you think Dem voters will buy Van Hollen's about face on cuts to SS?

    Parent

    Well, I really like Edwards - she's a (5.00 / 4) (#24)
    by Anne on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 12:02:43 PM EST
    Democrat after my own heart - but I think she's already playing from behind in terms of fundraising.

    And I think Van Hollen's about-face on SS is an example of what happens when someone is pushed from the left.  Do I think Dem voters will believe that he means it?  I don't know, but I think he has much less authenticity and credibility on it than Edwards does - and that may count for something.

    I would so much rather see her in that seat than him.  If she can get Elijah Cummings' support, that will go a long way to helping her beat Van Hollen.

    Parent

    May have to send her a few bucks (5.00 / 2) (#27)
    by MO Blue on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 12:12:23 PM EST
    Would prefer not to have another person in the Senate that thought the recommendations of the Cat Food Commission were acceptable.

    An about face when in campaign mode is not that convincing to me. I would prefer someone who has a long held position on an issue that matters to me over someone who has suddenly "evolved" due to campaign pressure.

     

    Parent

    Me, too. I've gotten out of the habit of (5.00 / 1) (#37)
    by Anne on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 01:07:34 PM EST
    contributing to political campaigns, but I think Edwards is worth making an exception.

    Parent
    Over the last couple of years (5.00 / 1) (#47)
    by MO Blue on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 02:08:25 PM EST
    I've stopped contributing to political campaigns as well. I definitely think I will contribute to Edwards. The other campaign I would consider donating to would be to Feingold if he decides to run for his old seat.

    Parent
    Oh, yeah (none / 0) (#53)
    by Zorba on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 03:55:13 PM EST
    I would so give some bucks to Feingold.

    Parent
    I'm sending Edwards (5.00 / 1) (#48)
    by Zorba on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 02:15:30 PM EST
    some bucks.
    Van Hollen is our Representative, after the gerrymandering (pardon me, "re-districting") that took place, and he's a whole heck of a lot better than the truly stupid Republican we had before.
    However, having said that, I'm still p!ssed at Van Hollen for his Cat Food Commission and cutting Social Security stance.
    I think Edwards has a chance.  Unless Elijah Cummimgs throws his hat in the ring, as well.
    I like and respect Cummings, too, but if he does this, it will split a lot of the votes, and Van Hollen will take it.

    Parent
    Money for Chuy Garcia (none / 0) (#145)
    by caseyOR on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:20:31 PM EST
    I do not give money freely at all to politicians. Still, the thought of Rahm Emmanuel losing to Chuy is too appealing for me to not send a little green Chuy's way.

    Blue America is having a money bomb today for Chuy. The election is soon, April 7. Rahm is spending multiple millions in a frantic effort to avoid being the first Chicago mayor in gawd  knows how many decades to lose a reelection bid. I say it couldn't happen too soon.

    Parent

    I think I should send some as well (none / 0) (#195)
    by sj on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 03:32:36 PM EST
    I want to be part of the "crazy lefty money machine"! If I'm going to be dismissed and mocked, I may as well try to get something out of it.
    "Unless they get the crazy lefty money machine going nationally, it's not going to matter that there's a resurgent left," said an adviser to Mr. Emanuel who did not want to speak publicly about strategy. "The liberals at Heartland Cafe in Rogers Park can think great thoughts and read poetry for Chuy, but nothing else will happen."


    Parent
    NYT, front page above rhe fold: how Jeb (none / 0) (#26)
    by oculus on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 12:11:24 PM EST
    is going to ace out Rubio and ein the GOP winner-take-all FL primary.

    Parent
    Frankly (none / 0) (#33)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 12:47:50 PM EST
    I would be surprised if Jeb beat out Rubio in that primary. It seems the FL GOP has moved a lot further right since Jeb was governor. But is Rubio even running for President? I think the message from that article is don't run Rubio.

    Parent
    It seems Rubio is Romey's candidate (none / 0) (#34)
    by Politalkix on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 12:57:41 PM EST
    He is lining up a lot of Romney's donors and Romney is helping him with it.link

    Parent
    A free for all (5.00 / 1) (#35)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 01:01:32 PM EST
    circular shooting squad is what it seems to already be shaping up as.

    Parent
    I think that's the race the NYT wants; (none / 0) (#36)
    by Anne on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 01:02:24 PM EST
    I think they want Bush in - because ultimately, I think they want another Bush/Clinton race.

    It just would be so nice if the media didn't have an agenda, but I'm afraid they do.

    Parent

    I would (none / 0) (#38)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 01:08:56 PM EST
    agree on the Bush but not on the Clinton part. It seems to me they want Elizabeth Warren vs. Jeb Bush but I certainly can't read their minds.

    My understanding is that the press is "bored" with covering the Clintons and would prefer to not have to talk about them anymore but apparently that same mindset does not extend to the Bushies.

    Parent

    That may be true but I have to root for the idiocy (none / 0) (#25)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 12:03:44 PM EST
    of people like Cruz and Cotton to be brought into the daylight, exposed and rejected. Maybe then the GOP will be closer to finding their way back to being a sane opposition party. It is the only chance this country has in the long run.

    You may say I'm a dreamer....

    Parent

    I think they may have to nominate one and get (none / 0) (#30)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 12:36:37 PM EST
    completely shellacked for that to happen.  I think it could happen in '16.

    Parent
    I truly (none / 0) (#32)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 12:44:09 PM EST
    hope they nominate someone like Cruz so we can move on as a country. Until we have a whacked out tea partier running on the GOP ticket and they get shellacked in a presidential election we're going to continue to have this nonsense like the letter to Iran. If Jebya loses it's going to be the same story about how moderates can't win and the tea party will not get the message from the voters.

    Parent
    Yes (none / 0) (#15)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 11:31:45 AM EST
    the clown car is filling up fast.

    Parent
    Orange County (CA) Attorney (5.00 / 3) (#40)
    by KeysDan on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 01:44:06 PM EST
    Matthew McLaughlin, has proposed a ballot measure allowing for the execution of gay men and women (defined as any person who willingly touches another person of the same gender for purposes  of  sexual gratification ) by "putting bullets to their heads or any other convenient method." The latter, to provide flexibility, where needed.

    The proposed "Sodomite Suppression Act" would also ban gays from holding public office and enjoying pubic benefits (although, given the bullet solution of the first seems to negate the need for the second).   Also, those found guilty of spreading " sodomite propaganda" would be fined $1 million or given  jail time.  Mc Lauglin states that "better that offenders die rather than that all of us be killed by God's just wrath."  

    Seemingly, the CA Attorney General, Kamala Harris, may have to clear the proposal for circulation, preparing a title/summary, and provide for a 90-day comment period.  However, to make the  2016 ballot, there will need to be 365,000 signers--considered to be highly unlikely (signer information is public information).  

    A ballot initiative for killing citizens does seem at odds with such matters as, say, the US Constitution, due process and the like,  so perhaps a way could be found to suppress the Suppression Act.  Words matter and could aid and abet hate crimes.

    While McLaughlin's CA ballot proposal is an absurdity, "Religious Freedom"  proposals in response to same-sex marriage progress (aka "Death Rattle Acts.) are also  fanatical, albeit less deadly,  extensions of  homophobic hate dressed up as "sincerely held beliefs."  

    Yet, these masquerades are being given respect as sincerely held beliefs by many Republicans, when they should be dismissed for what they are.  Indeed. the latest Bush family member who wants to be president, while making a Southern swing to woo influential Republicans, was asked about the dastardly bill cooking up in the GA legislature.

     Jeb could only bring himself to say that religious freedom is a serious issue and is increasingly so.  "People that act on their conscience shouldn't be discriminated against, for sure.  There should be protections."   Yes, Jeb, no one should be forced to bake for gays.

    Simply disgusting (5.00 / 1) (#43)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 02:00:29 PM EST
    If religious freedom is to be taken seriously, surely stuff like this should NOT be tolerated. Can't think of anything that cheapens religion more.

    Parent
    We are truly moving into (5.00 / 1) (#69)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 06:51:48 PM EST
    frightening times.  True it's absurd.  But is it more absurd or frightening than a viable presidential candidate who can't even muster the cojones to call it what it is?  There is a very good reason for that.  Large numbers of his voters don't want to hear it.  There is a very real backlash against gains like marriage equality.  Lots of people view it as a literal attack against them and their "beliefs".   They won't win.  But they won't go quietly either.

    Parent
    Did you (5.00 / 1) (#71)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 06:58:11 PM EST
    see the lady who showed up at a town hall asking about Obama bombing Charleston SC and Santorum couldn't even call it a conspiracy theory and not factual?

    What's scary is he's not alone in being unable to stand up to the nuts in the GOP. They all live in fear of them and despite Jebya's claims to not pander to the pin heads that is exactly what he is doing. Either they can't stand up or they're nuts themselves like Cruz. The GOP has turned into a scary apocalyptic cult.

    Parent

    I did and it's exactly what I'm talking about (none / 0) (#73)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 07:32:37 PM EST
    everyone should see that exchange.  If you think she is an outlier you are wrong.  She represents a very substantial part of republican voters.

    Parent
    In case (none / 0) (#74)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 07:35:12 PM EST
    Did you Catch What She Does for a Living... (5.00 / 1) (#112)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 09:55:02 AM EST
    ...high school teacher.

    That is almost as shocking as her belief that the Fed tried to detonate a nuke in SC.

    Parent

    Would it surprise you to learn (none / 0) (#113)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 09:58:00 AM EST
    that I personally know several school teachers who share her beliefs?

    Parent
    No Captain, But... (none / 0) (#189)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 02:56:27 PM EST
    ...I would surprise to to see them in a clip asking the question in a public forum using their name.

    It's one thing to be a closet nut job, it's quit another to announce it to everyone with access to the internet.

    I also wonder what their source is, those ridiculous emails ?  Even Fox News can't get that slimy.

    My mother used to forward some of that garbage and what they all had in common is that they seemed to think the larger the print the more truth it contained and the real zingers were bold as well.

    I still cannot wrap my head around the fact that emails like that actually worked on my mother.  The first couple I replied something about getting that big check from Microsoft for forwarding me a zillion emails.

    I don't believe she ever connected the two forms of spam like I had hoped.

    What I wonder about is there a group that gets together to discuss, for example, Obama wanted to nuke SC, or is it just people on their own.  But there is literally nothing people won't believe in an email, that is pretty damn scary.

    Parent

    Anybody (none / 0) (#198)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 03:42:32 PM EST
    who subscribes to tea party letters gets that type of conspiracy theory newsletters. A friend here gets them from the tea party and they sent out an email saying that the Black Panthers were going to skin white babies. They also send out letters about how the black helicopters are going to be coming from the UN anyday to take over the US and put tea partiers in reeducation camps. I mean these tea partiers are just nuts.

    Parent
    The woman is so ignorant (none / 0) (#130)
    by Chuck0 on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 11:51:02 AM EST
    and out of touch, she doesn't even seem to realize that Rick Santorum is no longer in the US Senate, nor has he been for quite some time.

    Parent
    She was not talking to Santorum (none / 0) (#132)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 11:55:48 AM EST
    she was talking to the press on the room.  

    Parent
    No (none / 0) (#76)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 07:38:49 PM EST
    actually I don't think she's an outlier. I live among people who think this way. And they're not all people who dropped out of high school. A lot of them are educated but they seem to have lost all sense of reason. Or they are so obsessed with hate it's scary. People laugh when I talk about Ted Cruz possibly being the nominee but I wouldn't be too suprised. Ted thinks that the UN is going to come and close down all the golf courses in the US. He thinks just like they do.

    Parent
    As do I (5.00 / 1) (#77)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 07:45:05 PM EST
    and I honestly think those who don't do not understand.   I don't think Cruz will be the nominee.  But I'm not betting on it.  I expect someone more like Walker who is no less dangerous.  People really don't understand that, as you say, these are not all drooling morons, that woman was a retired schoolteacher, and they are not small in number.  There are not enough of them to win but there are enough to tie this country in knots for generations.

    Parent
    I beg to disagree (5.00 / 1) (#84)
    by MO Blue on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 08:22:31 PM EST
    A person can be educated and still be a "drooling moron."

    Parent
    They can indeed (none / 0) (#89)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 08:53:38 PM EST
    but its not the mental image most people have of people who share that woman's beliefs.   They are not all howling lunatics who live in compounds.  They are people you can see every day in the supermarket.  "Nice" people.

    Parent
    My hope (none / 0) (#80)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 07:49:53 PM EST
    is that they do nominate a crazy and not because they are easier to beat but because I want them to go down in a landslide. The only thing that is going to finally make the GOP do something about these people is a big loss. Losing three presidential elections in a row and it might start to sink in MAYBE.

    Scott Walker? Not sure. He seems second rate and the GOP is on his case already for his behavior in firing an aide first of all because he didn't even check her out before hiring her (incompetence) and then firing her for some old tweets because it upset the right wing (caving).

    Parent

    Do not know what has happened (5.00 / 1) (#82)
    by Politalkix on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 07:50:46 PM EST
    But it is getting worse every 4 years. In 2016, we may get the worst Republican field ever (or in many decades).

    In 2008, you still had a some what sane McCain to start with till he picked Palin. You also had Romney.

    In 2012, you had Romney and Huntsman in the starting line up.

    In 2016, when Jebya is looking like the bright bulb in the room, you know that the field is really bad.

    Parent

    It is beginning to look like (none / 0) (#83)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 08:12:20 PM EST
    this will be one for the books.

    Parent
    McCain (none / 0) (#85)
    by MO Blue on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 08:24:24 PM EST
    McCain of the bomb, bomb Iran fame? Interesting.

    Parent
    McCain (none / 0) (#87)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 08:50:51 PM EST
    spoke truth to a crazy in a town hall.  And may have lost the election because if it.  You won't see that happening again.

    Parent
    This McCain (none / 0) (#88)
    by Politalkix on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 08:52:36 PM EST
    I would hope that we wouldn't see (none / 0) (#90)
    by MO Blue on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 09:44:16 PM EST
    another presidential candidate sing bomb, bomb Iran either but I wouldn't be  surprised if it happens.

    McCain, as a signator of the Iran letter,  has this to say about the current negotiations with Iran:

    Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Monday bashed the Obama administration, calling its nuclear negotiations with Iran a "delusion" and hitting it for overreacting to the upcoming speech by the Israeli prime minister.

    "The delusion is that they make this nuclear deal with Iran, there's a brand new relationship with Iran, Iran and we are partners for peace throughout the Middle East," McCain said on Fox News's "Fox and Friends." "It is crazy."

    McCain warned that Middle Eastern leaders have told him that the countries would "go nuclear" if the negotiations don't prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. He cited reports that say the talks are coalescing around an agreement to delay Iran's nuclear program instead of permanently restricting it.

    "Countries would "go nuclear" - Shades of mushroom clouds once again.

    McCain's lust for military action in the M.E. Is well established. The fact that he once said Obama was a decent man in a town hall meeting does not make his beating the drums for war any more acceptable IMO.

    Parent

    MO Blue (none / 0) (#92)
    by Politalkix on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 10:04:08 PM EST
    Why do you keep misrepresenting everything I write? I am just getting tired of it.

    (1) When did I say that McCain's "beating the drums for war any more acceptable". In my post, I mentioned that McCain was "somewhat" sane before he picked Palin. Does that sound like any sort of endorsement of McCain to you or indicate that I thought he was acceptable as CiC. Interestingly, during the primaries, HRC said that McCain had the credentials to be President while BHO did not. What do you have to say to that?

    (2) In another post, you mentioned that I only demanded a pledge of nom-military intervention in the ME only from HRC when I had proposed that all Democratic candidates running for the Presidency and Congressional offices in 2016 make that pledge (this would also include Webb, Schumer, Reid, etc).

    If you want to have a honest discussion, please stop misrepresenting my comments. I will stop replying to any of your posts otherwise.

    Parent

    Parent is your friend (5.00 / 2) (#98)
    by MO Blue on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 11:15:45 PM EST
    and reading comprehension is a skill you would do well to develop.

    I was replying to a comment by Capt Howdy and your name was no where in my post.

    It seems we have a major disagreement on exactly who is misrepresenting comments and who does not engage in honest discussions. From my POV, if you looked in the mirror you would see the real culprit.

    If you want to stop replying to my posts, knock yourself out. Most of your replies contain misstatement of facts and insults. I doubt that I will miss them.

    Parent

    Oh and about that letter (none / 0) (#91)
    by MO Blue on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 09:57:03 PM EST
    That McCain signed and continues to defend:

    The letter was spearheaded by first-term Senator Tom Cotton, who has called for "regime change" in Iran, not negotiations. Signers included all of the Senate's Republican leaders, and possible 2016 presidential contenders Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Rand Paul.

    Sound familiar.

    Parent

    What do you have ro say to this? (none / 0) (#93)
    by Politalkix on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 10:12:41 PM EST
    I am sure that HRC was aware of McCain's "Bomb, bomb, bomb, Iran". link

    Parent
    I think it was factual (5.00 / 1) (#119)
    by Yman on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 10:46:55 AM EST
    She was pointing out Obama's relative lack of foreign policy experience.  She was not endorsing McCain's judgement.

    But this should be the last time you complain about others living in the past ..

    Parent

    I agree it was factual (5.00 / 1) (#143)
    by MO Blue on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:16:20 PM EST
    and that she was not endorsing McCain. But IIRC there was a whole lot of blow back because she included him in the statement. IMO, including his name in her remark allowed her opposition to change the focus from the lack of experience to the red herring of "Oh, my gawd, she is endorsing McCain." or the equivalent of "She would rather McCain win than Obama."

    IMO it was an unforced error that lost her point.

    Parent

    I think it was a stupid (none / 0) (#99)
    by MO Blue on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 11:18:30 PM EST
    statement.

    Parent
    Yes, that is what gets me (none / 0) (#111)
    by ruffian on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 09:47:18 AM EST
    there should have been a huge BUT attached to Jeb's statement...like 'free speech is essential BUT this is still crazy talk.'

    Parent
    Jebya (none / 0) (#46)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 02:05:57 PM EST
    is totally unprepared for the political landscape of today it would seem.

    Parent
    So (5.00 / 1) (#110)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 09:39:11 AM EST
    i wake up and turn the tube and there is Cra-Cra Cruz at Liberty University.  
    You know what, I may have underestimated this guy.  He is good.  He talks the talk and walks the walk.  He may just be the brand of crazy that crazy is looking for.  It's tempting to think this is just another business decision and he doesn't really expect to win.  But looking at him and listening to him I'm not so sure.  He is going to speak to the downtrodden "victimized" faithful that tighten their control on the Republican Party by the hour.  And he is good.

    Please oh please oh please oh please.

    Mr. Haney from Green Acres (5.00 / 1) (#115)
    by Anne on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 10:03:13 AM EST
    Just what America needs.

    Almost as much as it needs another Joe McCarthy.

    Parent

    Actually (none / 0) (#118)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 10:43:51 AM EST
    i think he may be.  May be just the guy to lead them in the most crushing defeat since Goldwater.  

    It might do wonders.

    Parent

    He Certainly Failed... (none / 0) (#144)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:16:51 PM EST
    ...taking the lead in shutting down the government.

    Parent
    No he didn't (none / 0) (#193)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 03:31:06 PM EST
    his goal was never to shut down the government.  The goal was to grandstand.  It worked beautifully.  The wingbats love him for that.  I have heard them discuss it.  It matters not a whit that it was pointless produced exactly nothing.

    Parent
    Maybe Now... (none / 0) (#199)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 03:44:24 PM EST
    ...but when it happened Cruz's name was dirt, not only did he cost the country a lot of dollars and time, he didn't get the budget they wanted, not even close.  He tore apart the R party for a bit.

    They have obviously let it go, but at the time no one was happy, and Cruz was out of the limelight for some time.  Now he has managed to convince them it was Boehner's fault, not his, and they are more than happy to eat up whatever S sandwich Cruz feeds them.

    Parent

    he is (none / 0) (#116)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 10:27:18 AM EST
    definitely a master at fleecing the rubes for sure.

    And opening up a campaign at Liberty University is the perfect visual for a GOP campaign.

    Parent

    sj, soon I won't have to write (5.00 / 2) (#202)
    by fishcamp on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 04:25:32 PM EST
    my memoirs, as they will all be right here on TL.  :-)

    Gov. Jerry Brown has announced ... (none / 0) (#1)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 12:52:32 AM EST
    ... a $1 billion relief package to address issues and concerns related to California's ongoing drought. This comes as the State Water Board ordered community agencies statewide to inpose mandatory water conservation measures in response to deteriorating conditions.

    Jerry Brown on Ted Cruz (5.00 / 3) (#23)
    by MO Blue on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 11:56:24 AM EST
    ... that hasn't already been said ad nauseum by the likes of you and me, both here and elsewhere.

    And unfortunately, given the propensity of some people to take that white-wing rodeo clown seriously, we'll probably have to continue saying it ad nauseum.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    I agree we have been saying much (5.00 / 2) (#64)
    by MO Blue on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 05:12:30 PM EST
    The same thing for some time. The difference is that so far no one has let me express my opinion to a national audience on TV. ;o)

    It never ceases to amaze me what people are willing to believe or why they would vote for people that spout bat sh!t crazy nonsense.

    Parent

    Josh Marshall has an interesting post (5.00 / 2) (#108)
    by MO Blue on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 08:19:45 AM EST
    on Cruz. Seems he and his wife went to college with Cruz. The post goes into reflections of classmates of his at Princeton and Harvard Law.

    I was curious. Was this just my wife who tends to be a get-along and go-along kind of person? So I started getting in touch with a lot of old friends and asking whether they remembered Ted. It was an experience really unlike I've ever had. Everybody I talked to - men and women, cool kids and nerds, conservative and liberal - started the conversation pretty much the same.

    "Ted? Oh yeah, immense a*#hole." Sometimes "total raging a#%hole." Sometimes other variations on the theme. But you get the idea. Very common reaction.

    But that wasn't all. Before retelling this or that anecdote, there was one other thing that everybody said, "A really, really smart dude." link



    Parent
    Doesn't he ever get tired (5.00 / 1) (#124)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 11:20:16 AM EST
    Of turning out to be the guy everyone hates?  It's the same schtick over and over again, he has just traveled to different fresh pools.  After this pool, there is no fresh pool, the world mostly hates him now after this pool is worn out.  Nobody is left to give him any new guy benefit of the doubt after this and look for ways to put up with him.

    Parent
    He has done rather well in the last couple of (none / 0) (#135)
    by MO Blue on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:03:48 PM EST
    years for someone who everyone claims to hate. From a come from behind position to win his Senate seat to announcing a run for president after serving just 2 years. It appears that he has the ability to raise money from people who view his obnoxiousness as a sign of indepence and strength. The MSM for the most is giving him a lot of play rather than dwelling on much he is "hated." This lastest MSM meme is coming up at the top of some of the searches. IMO, the theme behind the article is to show how Clinton and Kerry started out with equally weak numbers, only to win their parties nomination.

    On Monday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is expected to become the first legitimate candidate to officially enter the Republican primary field for 2016. If he manages to gain his party's nomination, he'll have started with weaker prior-year poll numbers than anyone since 2000. With weaker numbers, in fact, than anyone since Bill Clinton.
    link

    My comment is in no way an endorsement of Cruz who I believe ranks high in the bat sh!t crazy wing of the GOP but I tend to agree with Howdy that it would be dangerous to underestimate his chances.


    Parent

    I don't think he could win the general (none / 0) (#138)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:09:00 PM EST
    (at the moment) but I am sure starting to think the nomination is not impossible.  If still perhaps unlikely.  The thing is, for him it's a win win.  Even losing will raise his orofile.

    Parent
    Um (none / 0) (#139)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:09:25 PM EST
    raise his profile

    Parent
    For some reason I wasn't that impressed (none / 0) (#150)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:32:10 PM EST
    With his announcement speech. I think it's just the first such thing we've seen in awhile so at first blush it seems impressive. I think he's just too emotionally unattached.  He's like trying to warm up to an iceberg.  I don't think he'll beat Bush.  I don't like Bush, but he has a discernible warmth.

    Parent
    We were not his audience (none / 0) (#155)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:38:26 PM EST
    the crowd seemed pretty happy with it.

    Parent
    They are already his fans though (none / 0) (#160)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:46:17 PM EST
    That's why they were there.  I think Republicans are crazy these days, but I think if your heartbeat is completely in doubt they will still only allow you to run VP on the ticket :).   Cruz visibly loses all humanity under stress, Bush doesn't.  Cruz may out debate Bush a time or two, but he just isn't likable enough as a person IMO.

    Parent
    The big (none / 0) (#169)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 01:01:20 PM EST
    question is going to be are the people who vote in the GOP primary going to allow Jeb to pull his stunts on the other candidates like they did his brother. Think back to 2000 and how George W. lied about McCain's adopted daughter. They fell for it back then but I'm not sure they're going to fall for that again and I'm not sure the evangelicals who backed George W. are going to back his brother.

    Parent
    I think they will fall..like dominoes (none / 0) (#178)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 01:13:37 PM EST
    They will fall for the ghost of Ronald Reagan's personality instantly.  Jeb can act it out better than his brother did too.

    Parent
    Jeb (none / 0) (#185)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 01:46:30 PM EST
    is the doughboy of politics. And they hate undocumented people and his wife screams undocumented to them.

    Though I have to say if he is the nominee and it's Bush vs. Clinton Bush goes down in a landslide. The Bush name now stands for lying about a war, economic collapse and Sharia for America. Jeb can't even answer questions but that seems to be endemic with the Bush family.

    Parent

    I think he's more likable and embraceable (5.00 / 1) (#187)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 02:00:54 PM EST
    For the Republican base than Romney was.  And he is the good child of the Bush clan :). We can all cite that :) The South will initially have problems with his wife and Catholicism, they will want a different candidate.  But can they effectively coalesce around a different front runner?  If you throw Cruz and another Conservative Christian out there can they make up their mind without splitting?  I think they'll splinter like they did last time if the field gets any larger and then the win swings to the establishment candidate.

    Parent
    Maybe so (none / 0) (#196)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 03:32:58 PM EST
    but I'm sure not seeing it around here. While being govenor of a swing state might look good on paper he's really not a very good politician and seems way overrated to me. He's been out of politics for too long and the new landscape seems to have him flabbergasted. He doesn't seem to understand that cell phone cameras are everywhere and expects to be treated like he's special or the same way his brother was. He doesn't understand either that it's just not the traditional press you are going to have to deal with. It's blogs and conspiracy sites and everything else.

    Parent
    Jeb convertedto Catholocism per the (none / 0) (#197)
    by oculus on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 03:41:04 PM EST
    NYT.

    Parent
    His giant pauses for effect (none / 0) (#170)
    by fishcamp on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 01:02:27 PM EST
    were in my simple fisherman's mind not very effective.  That was good MOBlue to find out that everybody thinks he's a smart a-hole

    Parent
    I would hope to gawd that (none / 0) (#148)
    by MO Blue on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:30:29 PM EST
    he couldn't win the general if he got the nomination. But after George W. Bush, I hesitate to say surely not.

    Your point about raising his profile is a good one. The GOP seems to recycle their candidates. Don't win the nomination this time around but set the scene for winning the next time. What a scary thought.

    BTW, I didn't mean to put words into your mouth. If I misstated or misinterpreted your comments about people like Cruz being dangerous, I apologize.

    Parent

    Nope (none / 0) (#154)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:36:59 PM EST
    you stated it pretty well

    Parent
    It's just my opinion (none / 0) (#146)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:21:59 PM EST
    But I think he's too unfeeling. It borders on too weird.

    Parent
    I agree with you totally (5.00 / 2) (#153)
    by MO Blue on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:36:14 PM EST
    Every time I see him, my mind goes immediately to thoughts of a wooden puppet. An evil puppet as depicted in some movie.

    But keep in mind, you and I don't view the world in the same way as his supporters.

    Parent

    The thing (none / 0) (#140)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:10:59 PM EST
    is while most Americans can't stand the guy the GOP base loves this guy. He's telling them they are cultural victims in America which is exactly what they want to hear.

    Do not be surprised if this guy gets the GOP nomination. I certainly would not.

    Parent

    "Smart: in what way: (none / 0) (#114)
    by Palli on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 10:03:00 AM EST
     Conniving? Opportunist? Cleverly deceitful? ...

    Parent
    Probabaly (none / 0) (#120)
    by MO Blue on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 10:48:29 AM EST
    all of the above.

    Parent
    It is a very dangerous thing (none / 0) (#126)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 11:27:40 AM EST
    that I see here a lot to assume that people who disagree with you can not be smart.  Cruz is clearly smart.  He has positioned himself rather brilliantly.  Listening to the talking heads digest the speech I am even more convinced of this.

    Parent
    I don't doubt that Cruz (5.00 / 3) (#159)
    by MO Blue on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:45:01 PM EST
    Is smart. A person can IMO be conniving, opportunistic, cleverly deceitful and extremely smart all at the same time. One attribute (smart) does not exclude the others.

    Parent
    Yes, but (none / 0) (#201)
    by Palli on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 04:01:19 PM EST
    He can be extremely smart in the way he is conniving, opportunistic & cleverly deceitful. The smarts I value in a statesperson he does not have. Cruz is a dangerous hybrid: of Father Coughlin, Huey Long and Joe McCarthy all rolled into one. Isn't his family from Batista loyalist stock?  

    Cruz's beliefs & actions would not be generative on any issue facing the United States in the next few decades. Young as he is, he is old world politics of division, class, race & ethnocentrism.  

    Parent

    And from Josh's link (none / 0) (#129)
    by sj on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 11:51:00 AM EST
    "He's not someone who shifts in the wind," Panton says. "The Ted Cruz that I knew at 17 years old is exactly the same as the Ted Cruz I know at 42 years old. He was very conservative then, and an outspoken conservative. He remains strongly conservative today."
    ...
    The time-capsule quality of Cruz's politics is lost on no one who knew him at Princeton, none of whom could point to a political position that he held 25 years ago that he does not seem to still hold today. For some, that amounts to a laudably consistent belief system. For others, it reveals a man of calcified thinking, dangerously impervious to facts, reality, and a changing world.

    "More than anyone I knew, Ted seemed to have arrived in college with a fully formed worldview," Butler College colleague Erik Leitch said.  "And what strikes me now, looking at him as an adult and hearing the things he's saying, it seems like nothing has changed. Four years of an Ivy League education, Harvard Law, and years of life experience have altered nothing."


    Creepy. Really, really creepy.

    Parent
    Gee, isn't Ted Cruz (none / 0) (#134)
    by KeysDan on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:01:35 PM EST
    ineligible for the presidency, having been born in some foreign country.  Kenya, or was it Canada?    Oh, yeah, there it is, born in Canada, father born in Cuba, mother in US (Delaware).  Still some controversy on the meaning of "natural born citizen."  

    Parent
    Consistency (none / 0) (#136)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:05:54 PM EST
    the hobgoblin of etc etc

    Parent
    I love it when he plain speaks :D (5.00 / 1) (#102)
    by nycstray on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 11:23:05 PM EST
    Do you know much about Salton Sea? (none / 0) (#22)
    by ZtoA on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 11:53:57 AM EST
    I have a friend who recently visited Bombay Beach, Slab City, and past a resort - La Casa del Zorro. Terrible contrasts. She went with an expert in folk arts and they also visited Salvation Mountain which is being picked apart. Then past Palm Springs with all the gleaming swimming pools. In LA, the Getty Museum has been voluntarily restricting their fountains and pools for over a year, yet driving around there are so many pools and fountains blowing water away.

    Parent
    Most all fountains operate on pumps ... (none / 0) (#49)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 03:19:21 PM EST
    ... which recycle the water, per CA law, so there's really no worry about actual waste on any grand scale. However, the optics which such ostentatious displays present to the general public are horrible, and that's why many towns and businesses have chosen to shut their fountains down for the duration of the emergency.

    A big part of the solution to this crisis, as always, rests with convincing the public to both take this drought seriously and act accordingly. And frankly, continuing to blow fountains of water upwards of 50 feet into the air 24/7 does nothing to allay the still-prevalent skepticism that this is somehow all a scam on the part of somebody.

    To the farmers in the Central Valley, the city folks are the primary culprits, while in the urban areas, people are complaining that agricultural interests are seeking for than their proper share of state water allocations.

    Public officials will have to work through all that, and that means actually leading their communities to do what must be done, rather than pandering to their constituents' worst fears and misconceptions.

    The last prolonged drought of this comparable magnitude in California occurred when I was in junior high and high school, back in the mid- to late-1970s, and we were subjected to mandatory conservation measures. The state's population was half then what it is today, and that's why the current situation is potentially much more dire.

    Coincidentally, Jerry Brown was also governor during the last major drought. People really ought to listen to him, because he's dealt with this problem before. I remember a lot of folks grumbling back then about the mandatory restrictions that were put in place, but we got through it all in one piece.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    We lived in San Francisco at that (none / 0) (#52)
    by Zorba on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 03:53:41 PM EST
    time.  While we were being urged to take "Navy showers," put bricks in our toilet tanks, and also not flush every time ("If it's yellow, let it mellow" was the phrase), not water lawns or wash our cars, etc., at the same time, the newspaper in SF was publishing pictures of people in LA washing their cars, watering their lawns, and otherwise wasting water.
    It infuriated those of us in Northern California.  Which, of course, was the whole point.


    Parent
    We had significant restrictions in place ... (none / 0) (#59)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 04:35:19 PM EST
    ... during the drought 40 years ago. Water conservation ultimately worked because we policed each other, and we developed sound, ecology-friendly habits which remained in place even after the drought had passed, such as not watering the yard and garden during the mid-day sun.

    My mother's neighbors in Pasadena xeriscaped their yard a few years ago, and she admired it so much that she's since done the same thing to hers. The grass lawn is gone, and has been replaced by hardly drought-resistant plants and succulents. She kept only her fruit trees in the back and side yards, which she waters twice weekly in the evenings.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Southern Californians, (none / 0) (#66)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 05:42:15 PM EST
    outside the desert regions there, had a reputation for using prodigal amounts of water.

    Parent
    Maybe so. (none / 0) (#95)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 10:58:52 PM EST
    But then, those who live in Northern California don't exactly have a pristine record themselves, when it comes to water issues.

    After all, Southern Californians weren't the ones who prevailed upon the federal government to dam the Tuolumne River and use Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park as a reservoir.

    That would be the good folks in the City and County of San Francisco, who have ever since resolutely opposed any and all calls to tear down the O'Shaughnessy Dam and restore Hetch Hetchy to its former glory.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Yes, unfortunately (none / 0) (#109)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 08:30:30 AM EST
    there weren't scandals about it like the taking of water from the Owens Valley by Mulholland & etc., were there?

    Parent
    During WWll, we had to dodge (none / 0) (#75)
    by fishcamp on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 07:37:24 PM EST
    bomb craters to get to school.  The Japanese sent thousands of incendiary bombs on balloons, that started forest fires in Oregon, Washington, and California.  The farthest, allegedly, went to Rapid City.  We were bussed down someplace, to plant trees, during the Oregon Reforestation Project.  Anything to get out of school for a day was good.  A slip of the lip could sink a ship.  

    Parent
    The only deaths on the U.S. mainland ... (none / 0) (#97)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 11:09:07 PM EST
    ... during the Second World War that are directly attributable to enemy action occurred on May 6, 1945 near Klamath Falls, OR. A church group stumbled upon a Japanese balloon bomb along a roadside, and it exploded and killed six of them.

    Parent
    Good article Donald. (none / 0) (#107)
    by fishcamp on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 07:18:57 AM EST
    They could have had different sized bombs since I have heard of other injured years ago.  I don't remember studying about these fire bombs in school, and few people have heard about them.  I do remember many kids being bussed down towards the coast to plant trees in the fire damaged areas.  Strange times.

    Parent
    Water restrictions (none / 0) (#94)
    by cpresley on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 10:55:50 PM EST
    We're in the Santa Cruz mountains and have been on water rationing for the last 3 years. We can water the yard for 15 minutes Tues.Thurs. & Sat. No watering at all on Monday. You can wash your car but only with a shutoff nosele.

    Parent
    Not That it Matters... (none / 0) (#117)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 10:42:12 AM EST
    ...but the Whole Foods I use has a sign stating that their fountain is entirely fueled by rain water.  Which had me wondering, do they have a roof specifically designed for this purpose, which would be odd considering they are in a strip center.

    So I took a look, no doubt, the circle is the fountain and oval contraption is what appears to be the collector.  GOOGLE MAP

    So the question I currently wonder about is how much ecological impact did the collector & sign have in order for Whole Foods to proclaim they don't use city water for their fountain, or rather why they aren't using the canal water from the canal they are located on.  Very odd considering the fountain is surely powered by electricity from the grid.  Why not just take a pass on the fountain if your goal is benefiting the enviroment, or rather not gratuitously impacting the environment for aesthetics.

    That collector is massive(compare it to the parking lot).

    I know not really related to your statement other than Whole Foods was conscious enough of the optics to install a sign letting everyone know that they aren't using city water for their fountain.

    Parent

    Saving water in Huston (none / 0) (#121)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 10:53:44 AM EST
    appears to be Political Correctness on steroids.

    Parent
    They have quite a problem (none / 0) (#122)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 11:08:43 AM EST

    Beneath Houston, miles of the city's aging water mains are leaking billions of gallons each year. The repairs will require years of work and millions of dollars.

    That's from the Houston Chronicle from last September.

    Parent

    And the Soil... (none / 0) (#149)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:31:35 PM EST
    ...which is mostly clay, is not good on the infastructure.  It's why we don't have basements.  The drought, like fours years ago, got the the point where the clay shrunk enough to seriously distort roads and the infrastructure below it.

    It was insane, water main breaks everywhere and roads so bad that were clsoed because they were tearing peoples cars apart.

    Not only did it seriously mess up the infrastructure, but it cracked many home foundations.  Not a big deal unless you want to install wood floors, but everyone has floating doors because part of their home isn't level.  I bought some magnetic door stoppers so two doors would quit floating shut.  It's seriously messes up the flow of air for the AC and heat, and one time my dog was looking for me in the study and got locked in for almost a day.  She went in and the door floated shut then she locked it trying to get out.  I felt so bad.

    Before the drought those kinds of issues were few and far between.  On the infrastructure, it's a hell of a lot better than it was that year and couple after.  

    We are next to the gulf, so generally we get a lot of rain, nearly every day in the summer for 30 mins like clockwork.

    Parent

    And how much water needs to be saved (none / 0) (#156)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:41:44 PM EST
    to keep the pipes from being replaced??

    "...billions...."

    The fact is that the issue is "political correctness."

    Saving water is the latest buzz words of the nongovernmental Nazis and it matters not that saving water in Houston will do nothing for LA.

    Parent

    Saving water (none / 0) (#161)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:49:30 PM EST
    is always a good Idea, but the point is that they have a serious problems, and yes, conserving wate

    Parent
    Since you haven"at cited (none / 0) (#162)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:51:07 PM EST
    any specific Nazi-like actions on the part of water conservationists, can I ask you one question?

    WTFARTA?

    Parent

    Jim... (none / 0) (#151)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:32:51 PM EST
    ...I assume that WF is doing this everywhere, or at least everywhere it rains.  But I don't know.

    Parent
    They probably are (none / 0) (#158)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:44:20 PM EST
    just to be politically correct.

    The flip is that making a claim that makes no sense where it isn't needed denigrates the whole by reducing it to the theater of the absurd.

    Parent

    Yeah, (5.00 / 2) (#174)
    by sj on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 01:08:04 PM EST
    probably the infrastructure neglect was permitted for political purposes. Oh wait, it was! Only the "no more taxes" crowd doesn't want to take the responsibility now.

    Oy


    Parent

    You are So Funny (5.00 / 1) (#182)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 01:34:09 PM EST
    First, this is Texas and that store is located in Sugar Land, which is Tom Delays old district.

    The billions of wasted water is Houston, Sugar Land is much newer and definitely not dealing with old infrastructure.  I have no idea why they do it, maybe: because it rains a lot, or they think somehow conserving rain water is going to bring in more business in a very red district, or maybe they just do the unheard of, care about the environment.  Who knows.

    On a side note, Steven Spielberg's movie debut, Sugar Land Express, is about Goldie Hawn being chased by police as she heads for Sugar Land.  In the movie, 1974 Sugar Land was tiny, and as you may have gathered, mostly sugar cane fields, but some cotton.  I always wonder if my house was built on lands in which slaves used to work.

    Parent

    Yeah, I'm sure of that (none / 0) (#163)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:52:51 PM EST
    just like the death panels we also were warned about.......?.

    Parent
    use. Pools and fountains "blowing water away" comprise about 0.01% (guesstimate) of that 10%.

    While every 0.01% is important, there are other much more significant water "waste" practices that could be improved.

    Parent

    Exactly. (none / 0) (#100)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 11:21:29 PM EST
    But as I noted, the optics provided by these public fountains aren't necessarily conducive to officials' arguments for further conservation measures. While shutting them down would clearly have a negligible practical impact on state water supplies, it's also the type of symbolic act which can underscore the seriousness of the drought situation in the collective consciousness of the general public.

    Parent
    Why are we not hearing about restrictions on (none / 0) (#101)
    by nycstray on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 11:21:31 PM EST
    industry like gas/fracking and oh, I don't know, the Nestle bottled water operation . . ?

    I went into semi-drougt mode when I moved back here even though it was raining cats and dogs that year and the next. To me, living in Ca means always watching how you use water. But hey, a drought or a few kinda gets ingrained in ya :)

    Parent

    ... about water use. Even in those years when the L.A. area suffered torrential winter storms and flooding (1968-69 and '77-78), we never doubted that a drought could be just around the corner. To most of us who grew up in California, water conservation is second nature -- or at least, it should be.

    Parent
    I was born in SoCal (none / 0) (#104)
    by nycstray on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:27:31 AM EST
    and after living a bit more than half my life in NorCal, moved back down after college. Then went north again, lol!~  Water has always been part of the conversation. Things are beautiful, green and blooming right now, but it's just a slight visual reprieve as to what lies ahead . . . not looking forward to the 'brown season' this year . . .   :/ I just don't get the folks that aren't conserving. Okay, maybe I 'get' the a-holes in SF that think they are above it, but the rest of the state? Hello!! I think before anyone sells Metropolitan boatloads of water for the south, we need to see some serious conservation going on (and not just with the people, but with industry!) We may not have the water for the north, much less to send south next year . . .

    Parent
    Agreed. (none / 0) (#106)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:48:07 AM EST
    Speaking as an ex-resident who still has very fond feelings for his former home state, I believe that Californians across the spectrum need to have a serious conversation with one another about development of a comprehensive and sustainable statewide water use / conservation policy. They can start by ceasing to look at this issue in starkly provincial terms of NorCal vs. SoCal or agriculture vs. urban, etc., because this is a statewide issue in need of a statewide solution.

    Parent
    is saving the same amount of water that then does not need to be provided through the faucet, so its net effect on water usage is essentially zero, as far as I can tell.

    Parent
    I figured there (none / 0) (#168)
    by sj on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:59:49 PM EST
    had to be some sort of water usage in the bottling process so I went looking. I knew there were lots of other reasons not to buy my beloved SmartWater, but here is a list all in one place.
    In addition to the water sold in plastic bottles, the Pacific Institute estimates that twice as much water is used in the production process. Thus, every liter sold represents three liters of water.


    Parent
    in the production process is mainly in producing the bottles, which is its own can of worms.

    Parent
    depending on the water you are drinking (5.00 / 1) (#179)
    by CST on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 01:18:31 PM EST
    there is also the issue of where and how they are getting their water and whether it's being done in a sustainable way for that particular area (hint, it's often not)

    Not all water is created equal.

    Parent

    out of the region that is in a drought to other regions that have more than sufficient water w/o the shipped-in water.

    Parent
    They are pulling groundwater from an area (5.00 / 1) (#188)
    by nycstray on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 02:15:51 PM EST
    where it can't be replenished (3" avg rain per year) and it's on NA land, so no reporting about what is happening there since 2009 (and not sure that reporting is correct) . . . . then they ship it out of state.  Lovely, eh?

    Parent
    It appears that some urban areas are favored (none / 0) (#131)
    by ZtoA on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 11:51:06 AM EST
    more than others regarding water issues. Agriculture certainly has had an effect on Salton Sea and the surrounding areas.

    Parent
    I don't think I know what you mean,, (none / 0) (#147)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:28:41 PM EST
    isn't the Salton Sea man-made? in fact, man-made by accident?

    Parent
    Yes, it is the resurrection (none / 0) (#167)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:59:44 PM EST
    Of an ancient lake bed caused by a breach in the irrigation system:

    The modern sea was accidentally created by the engineers of the California Development Company in 1905. In an effort to increase water flow into the area for farming, irrigation canals were dug from the Colorado River into the valley. Due to fears of silt buildup, a cut was made in the bank of the Colorado River to further increase the water flow. The resulting outflow overwhelmed the engineered canal, and the river flowed into the Salton Basin for two years, filling the historic dry lake bed and creating the modern sea, before repairs were completed.[2] While it varies in dimensions and area with fluctuations in agricultural runoff and rainfall, the Salton Sea averages 15 miles (24 km) by 35 miles (56 km). With an estimated surface area of 343 square miles (890 km2) or 350 square miles (910 km2), the Salton Sea is the largest lake in California.[3][4] The average annual inflow is less than 1,200,000 acre feet (1,500,000 dam3), which is enough to maintain a maximum depth of 44 feet (13 m) and a total volume of about 6,000,000 acre feet (7,400,000 dam3). However, due to changes in water apportionments agreed upon for the Colorado River under the Quantification Settlement Agreement of 2003, the overall water level of the Sea is expected to decrease significantly between 2013 and 2021.[5]



    Parent
    Florida has its own problems (none / 0) (#63)
    by ragebot on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 05:11:55 PM EST
    Not just with water but with HOAs both wasting water and prevent residents from more environment friendly landscaping.  Here is a link  to a facebook group that illustrates some of the problems.  My friend Barbra Stage deserves kudos for her good work in fighting HOAs and trying to help the environment.

    Parent
    Having fun watching "Columbo".... (none / 0) (#39)
    by magster on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 01:21:31 PM EST
    on Netflix. So much better than the cop shows now. They spend almost the first half of the show on the murder before Peter Falk even comes around.

    He only investigates rich people murders though....

    One of the episodes has a very young (none / 0) (#42)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 01:58:27 PM EST
    Jamie Lee Curtis in a bit part as a rude waitress.

    Parent
    Haven't gotten to that one yet.... (none / 0) (#44)
    by magster on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 02:02:41 PM EST
    They had one with Blythe Danner where she looked like a slightly modified Gwenytth Paltrow, and according to Wikipedia, was filmed when she was about 2 months pregnant with Gwenyth.

    Parent
    Given their relationship, ... (5.00 / 1) (#50)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 03:39:18 PM EST
    magster: "They had one with Blythe Danner where she looked like a slightly modified Gwenytth Paltrow, according to Wikipedia, was filmed when she was about 2 months pregnant with Gwenyth."

    ... I'd instead offer that Gwenytth Paltrow bears a somewhat striking resemblance to her mother in her younger days, rather than vice versa.

    We inherit nothing from our children except prodigious amounts of joy and happiness, tempered with some aggravation.

    Aloha. ;-D

    Parent

    I'm down with that re-phrasing. (none / 0) (#51)
    by magster on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 03:43:22 PM EST
    Regardless, it was a revelation to see that dad only donated just barely enough DNA to keep Gwyneth from being a clone.

    Parent
    Just like Kate Hudson's father! (none / 0) (#58)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 04:16:21 PM EST
    I liked Ms. Dinner ever since she did (none / 0) (#67)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 05:45:21 PM EST
    A failed sitcom "Adam's Rib" back in the late to mid 70s.  Back then they handed out sitcoms to anyone with some acting ability like Norman Lear would do.

    Parent
    Jamie Lee Curtis was very (none / 0) (#78)
    by fishcamp on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 07:46:26 PM EST
    beautiful back then.  I did a film job with her dad, but never got to meet her.  The job with Tony Curtis was on the beach at St Barths.  Those were the days.

    Parent
    I had seasons 1 and 2 on DVDs (none / 0) (#45)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 02:03:17 PM EST
    at one point...so much fun looking at the clothes, sets, etc and spotting soon to be stars.

    Not to mention the joys of Peter Falk's performance.

    Parent

    Columbo...my favorite detective (none / 0) (#60)
    by christinep on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 04:39:06 PM EST
    My sister & I (sometimes accompanied by another friend or two; sometimes not) prepared for those Columbo Evenings the way you would get ready for a little dinner party. Food; drink; pillow & throws ... then, as the semi-patented show progressed, we would laugh, pass more food, and "dissect" it all.  <Coming to mind right now are good ones featuring Leonard Nimoy; Johnny Cash; Janet Leigh; and, one about a mensa member who got out-thought by the one-&-only Columbo.<p> P.S.  These days, a big favorite detective for me is found in the books of Louise Penny. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Quebec surete. The imagination overflows....

    Parent
    I just today finished the one with Nimoy. (none / 0) (#61)
    by magster on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 04:42:25 PM EST
    I read somewhere that Columbo was going to be revived with Mark Ruffalo playing the role. Not a fan of remakes, but there is a resemblance. I'd give it a chance.

    Parent
    Last Night... (none / 0) (#125)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 11:22:16 AM EST
    ...I was browsing through TV trailers trying to find a movie and there on the screen was Mark Ruffalo and Steve Carell looking crazy in a crazy looking movie that was based on "The True Story".

    Can't say that I have seen him in anything recently and the stuff I remember was always light hearten comedies/romance movies.

    But Foxcatcher looks good and very serious.  The last scene in the trailer has me hooked.

    Parent

    Speaking of... (none / 0) (#123)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 11:09:33 AM EST
    ...I have ben watching MASH reruns.

    It's so odd to see anti-war messages in a movie about a war, but even stranger to see the blatant sexism in every episode.  Neither theme IMO would fly these days.

    My parents watched when I was younger, but too young to really understand it beyond the jokes.

    Still a damn funny show.

    And there is a character, Major Frank Burns, who reminds me of Jim in so many ways.  His love of war and hatred of the 'commies' and 'pinkos' and his total blatant disregard of humanity.  The guy can't wave a flag high enough, but when the S hits the fan, he's always somewhere hiding and barking out orders for someone else to be put in harms way.

    I also watch Trapper John MD, and it's so weird to see the character who was eventually spun off.  Which if memory serves me right, was nothing like the Trapper John in MASH.

    I might have to check out Columbo as I occasionally catch the reruns on some channel, Quincy is another I see occasionally.

    When I had Time Warner, the had Gilligan's Island reruns in their on Demand.  I really wish I could find those somewhere and maybe some Threes Company.

    Magnum PI is on encore along with Night Court and Murphy Brown, around 6 every week night.  I watch Magnum occasionally because it's so funny to see a show that would never get aired these days because it was just so damn cheesy.  He's a PI, that just so happens to get mixed up in situations in which being a PI is almost required.  Rarely does he solve a crime because he was paid to.

    Parent

    Thanks, Scott (1.50 / 2) (#137)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:06:04 PM EST
    for setting a new low in personal attacks based on your dislike of a person's politics.

    And you don't even get it right.

    You see Scott, my point has always been that if we decide to fight then we should use every thing we have to win as rapidly as possible thus saving American lives.

    That is in direct conflict with the Left's, which you are one, love of proportional response which extends the war turning it into a meat grinder that favors the enemy's strategy and kills more and more Americans.  

    Question: How did Hanoi intend to defeat the Americans?

    Answer: By fighting a long war which would break their will to help South Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh said,
    "We don't need to win military victories, we only need to hit them until they give up and get out."

    snip

    Q: How could the Americans have won the war?

    A: Cut the Ho Chi Minh trail inside Laos. If Johnson had granted [Gen. William] Westmoreland's requests to enter Laos and block the Ho Chi Minh trail, Hanoi could not have won the war.

    Link

    In the meantime your leader speaks of leading from behind while things like this happens.

    Doesn't that make you proud??

    And no matter what else the fictional Frank did, one thing is true. He was there and he did his share. Something that I am proud to say I did and something many many many on the Left cannot say.

    Have a nice day.

    Parent

    I thought (5.00 / 1) (#157)
    by sj on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:42:40 PM EST
    Scott's comparison was dead on when it comes to attitude. I doubt that you would really have a problem with it yourself, if it wasn't for Burns' physical mannerisms.

    The way you subsume a discussion and take it into a sort of alternate reality is very reminiscent of how Burns viewed the world.

    But whatever, that's just Scott's mental view, not mine. I'm sticking with my original mental image of a combination of Walter Brennan and Ebenezer Scrooge. If we're talking about human people.

    Parent

    My point is that it (2.00 / 2) (#165)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:58:33 PM EST
    misrepresents two points.

    1. I believe that you decide.

    And if you decide to be in a fight

    2. You use every resource, every weapon you have to win and end the fight as quickly as possible.

    That saves lives but it is in stark opposition to what the Left wants which is a proportional response war that the enemy can win by having enough Americans killed to let the enemy win and America be defeated thus proving to the world that the Left was "right to oppose the war."

    That Americans are killed unnecessarily seems not to matter.

    And yes, you can argue that no American would be killed if we hadn't entered the war.

    I refer you back to "...if you decide to fight."

    So Scott's nasty little piece of BS is just that. A nasty little piece of BS.

    Parent

    wev (5.00 / 1) (#171)
    by sj on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 01:02:49 PM EST
    You're just as boring as usual. Too bad you'll likely claim a bunch of the allotted 200 comments on this thread as well.

    Parent
    Too bad you decide to pick a fight (2.00 / 2) (#173)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 01:07:11 PM EST
    what a piece of work you are (5.00 / 2) (#175)
    by sj on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 01:11:31 PM EST
    You pick a fight and then point fingers when it doesn't play out the way you want it.

    Don't you need a nap?


    Parent

    Oh, for the love of God, jim... (5.00 / 4) (#184)
    by Anne on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 01:41:39 PM EST
    there's always a decision, isn't there?  We get in or we don't because someone or a group of someones made the decision.

    Anyone can make a decision, jim, but not everyone can make the right decision.  The problem with Iraq is that people made the decision to go to war, and then they manipulated information and intelligence to make it look like it was the right decision.

    I think history may prove - if it hasn't already - that it wasn't.  

    You keep using the term "the Left" as if you had even a Frank Burns-sized clue what it wants or what it represents; I think you've demonstrated quite ably that you don't.  You're engaging in the same kind of magical thinking that the brainiacs who "decided" to fight a country that wasn't fighting us and never attacked us used to make that sound like a good idea.  People who refused to learn from the past, who abused the trust of the American people and especially that of the men and women who had a right to expect their leaders wouldn't send them off on a fool's errand.  Who only got their way by scaring people to death.

    You are now so entangled in a web of illogical gibberish that you aren't ever going to find your way back to anything that makes sense, so before Jeralyn shuts you down for clogging up this thread, why don't you go outside and enjoy the rest of the afternoon?

    Parent

    Watch Out... (5.00 / 2) (#194)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 03:32:17 PM EST
    ...JIM is in full-fledged 'bold makes my argument better' mode, he might even go full on 'CAPS proove my point, unqueStionably', and down theSe rabbit HOLEs we go.

    Parent
    No Need to Thank Me... (5.00 / 2) (#164)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:57:37 PM EST
    ...you should thank yourself for writing words that remind me of Frank Burns.

    It was in no way an attack, just an observation.  I didn't make it up, the similarities are striking.

    If you don't want me comparing you to a doofus, stop writing the same words as the doofus says on the TV.  Take it up with the producers over at MASH.

    What is really funny is I bet I can find an episode in which Frank Burns says "..if we decide to fight then we should use every thing we have to win as rapidly as possible thus saving American lives."

    Remarkable, really.  I don't he would have used the word 'thus'.

    Not sure how that can be a new low considering the things I have said about you in the past; in that context it is a compliment.

    Watch it Jim, you are gonna freak out when you realize how many views you two share, and that is not sarcasm.

    Although I don't remember an episode in which Burns promotes the killing of children, but fear not I am only half way through.  I know he has promoting the killing of civilians, is that close enough ?

    Parent

    If saying that we should (none / 0) (#172)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 01:05:32 PM EST
    use all our resources in any war that we get in
    reminds you of Frank Burns all I can say is that you are making things up in your mind.

    And if fighting to win causes you a problem then I pray that there aren't many like you.

    And while you are so concerned over civilians being killed as collateral damage, unwanted damage.... you make no comment about the horrible things I showed in the link that are being done on purpose.

    Don't they count?? Or is it only those killed by American bombs that bother you??

    I think I know the answer.

    Parent

    That's Exactly... (5.00 / 3) (#186)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 01:50:06 PM EST
    ...what Burns would say, sans the link bit.

    He even implies that people who disagree with him also support the enemy, like you do pretty much every day.

    Frank teaching Koreans English.

    Parent

    Yes, Trapper John in MASH (none / 0) (#127)
    by caseyOR on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 11:30:15 AM EST
    was played by Wayne Rogers. Pernell Roberts, who played oldest Cartwright son Adam in Bonanza, was Trapper John, M.D. This was not exactly a spin-off of MASH in that it aired some years later and had a different actor portray Trapper.

    Trapper John, M.D. also featured Gregory Harrison as a young doctor.

    Parent

    Wayne Rogers is a wonderful and (5.00 / 2) (#180)
    by fishcamp on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 01:19:00 PM EST
    smart guy.  Once again, I had the opportunity to work with him on a film job.  This was the Princess Grace Memorial Tennis Tournament in Monaco.  We were staying at the famous Hotel du Paris, which has a very old and immense wine cellar.  We filmed the caves with Wayne, who owns vinyards in California, and was also able to translate the words of the wine keeper, who looked like he had been down there for centuries.  We all drank some old and delicious wine after the shoot.

    Parent
    Has anyone mentioned (5.00 / 2) (#191)
    by sj on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 03:25:16 PM EST
    the word "memoir" lately? :)

    Parent
    If you want (none / 0) (#56)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 04:09:12 PM EST
    to understand some of the things that go on here you should read this:

    things that offend Republicans

    Hint number one is that Bush lied us into Iraq. They just can't take that one. I guess it's called can't handle the truth.

    I Got Something That Will Blow... (none / 0) (#133)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:01:04 PM EST
    ...republican minds, using 2 of the items listed:

    Racist Dixiecrats Are Now Called Republicans.

    Lincoln Wasn't Really a Republican.

    In the 1860 election, Lincolns name was not on the ballot in 10 slave owning states.  Apparently, southerners wouldn't allow an anti-slavery candidate on their ballots.  So for any southerner to claim they are the party of Lincoln is beyond stooopid.

    Electoral Map
    of the 1860 election for the visual.

    These are states in which Lincoln's name did not appear on the 1860 presidential ballot:  Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, N Carolina, S Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.  LINK

    In all fairness, I don't believe SC had anyone on the ballot.

    Imagine the south refusing to put Obama on their ballots, that is seriously insane.

    Another LINK:

    When the votes were tallied, Lincoln, who was not on the ballot in any southern state, carried all of the North but one state in the popular vote. With respect to popular support, Douglas came in second, followed by Breckinridge and Bell. The electoral college results, however, placed the candidates in a different ranking. Most southerners voted for Breckinridge, who carried eleven slave states of fifteen. Bell won in the more conservative upper South states of Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Despite his popular support, Douglas carried only Missouri. In the final electoral college count, Lincoln beat Breckinridge 180 votes to 72. Bell polled 39 and Douglas came in last with 12 votes.

    The other amazing fact is that a country in the midst of a civil war actually held elections in 1864, which Lincoln almost lost.

    Parent

    Best music in an old TV series has to be (none / 0) (#65)
    by ragebot on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 05:25:08 PM EST
    Miami Vice .  Way too many big name folks who contributed to the music in the show, with many musicians not just playing music but also active roles in the shows.  Of course Jan Hammer deserves mention not only for his work on the show but also for his work in popularizing electronic music and his early adaption of the Moog Synth.

    I am not sure any TV show had as much good music for as long as Miami Vice did.

    I love this live version of (none / 0) (#72)
    by McBain on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 07:29:33 PM EST
    "Crockett's Theme"
    http://tinyurl.com/n4byaar

    Jan Hammer's live version of the Miami Vice Theme is also good.

    Some of my all time favorite opening credit themes...
    Miami Vice
    The Six Million Dollar Man
    Space: 1999 (first season)
    Barney Miller

    Parent

    Smuggler's Blues with (5.00 / 1) (#81)
    by fishcamp on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 07:49:56 PM EST
    Glen Frey was a good one too

    Parent
    The Eagles are/were an impressive band (none / 0) (#86)
    by McBain on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 08:25:37 PM EST
    I believe they are still the #1 selling American group of all time.  Three of their members have had quite a bit of solo success....  Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Glenn Frey.  Smugglers Blues might be my favorite of Frey's work. I watched a very good Eagles documentary on streaming Netflix a few months ago.  

    Parent
    Well... (none / 0) (#142)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:14:26 PM EST
    ...the song 'The Heat is On' came on my XM the other day and imagine my surprise to see Glen Fry's name on the theme song to one of the Beverly Hills Cop movies.  I had no idea.

    I saw the Eagles a couple years ago at Austin City Limits.  They played hits, but afterwards I was like I really wish they didn't play this and that to which my GF replied something like, "If they played every hit they would have been on stage for 2 days straight.

    It was a valid point not many bands can claim.

    I believe Frey also made some appearance on Miami Vice.

    Parent

    Frey was in "Smugglers Blues" (none / 0) (#166)
    by ragebot on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:59:17 PM EST
    from the link in my first post here is a blurb:

    "Among the many well-known bands and artists who contributed their music to the show were Roger Daltrey, El Debarge, Devo, Russ Ballard, Black Uhuru, Jackson Browne, Kate Bush, Meat Loaf, Phil Collins,[19] Bryan Adams, Tina Turner, Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd, ZZ Top, The Tubes, Dire Straits, Depeche Mode, The Hooters, Iron Maiden, The Alan Parsons Project, The Ward Brothers, Godley & Creme, Corey Hart, Glenn Frey, U2, Underworld, Frankie Goes to Hollywood,[6] Foreigner, The Police, Red 7, Ted Nugent, Suicidal Tendencies, The Damned and Billy Idol. Several artists even guest-starred in episodes, including Collins,[19] Miles Davis,[20] Power Station,[21] Frey,[22] Suicidal Tendencies, Willie Nelson,[23] Nugent,[24] Frank Zappa,[25] The Fat Boys,[26] Sheena Easton, and[27] Gene Simmons. An iconic scene from the Miami Vice pilot involves Crockett and Tubbs driving through Miami at night to Phil Collins's song "In the Air Tonight".[28][29]"

    Parent

    Some interesting Ferguson videos (none / 0) (#79)
    by McBain on Sun Mar 22, 2015 at 07:47:41 PM EST
    This one from a CNN panel discussion where most agree the "hands up" thing was a lie.  One woman still not ready to give up.... "hands up is the ultimate truth"
    http://tinyurl.com/qxqsdoy

    More of the same from my favorite drama queen, Megyn Kelly...
    http://tinyurl.com/otdw938

    Sean Hannity being Sean Hanity while Feguson protestors being Ferguson protestors. This one is a must see....
    http://tinyurl.com/lbb2lpr

    Why it took so long for most people to come around, I'll never fully understand. There was nothing compelling about Dorian Johnson.

    A giant in SE Asian politics has passed on. (none / 0) (#105)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:33:22 AM EST
    Lee Kwan Yew (1923-2015), who founded the independent city-state of Singapore in 1959 and subsequently ruled it with an iron fist as its first prime minister following its 1965 separation from Malaysia, died today at age 91.

    While Singapore today is considered a prosperous beacon in a politically tumultuous region, it must be noted that economic prowess has often come at the expense of human rights in this nation of 5-plus million residents, as the Lee family continues to rule the island almost as though it were a personal fiefdom:

    "Lee tolerated no dissent and jailed regime critics without trial, and despite their wealth, Singaporeans do not enjoy a free press, freedom of speech, or freedom of assembly. Critics have also accused Lee of nepotism. In addition to his son Lee Hsieng Loong, Singapore's current prime minister, other children and close family members occupy powerful positions within the country. Members of Singapore's Malay and Indian populations have accused Lee, who was of Chinese descent, of failing to share political and economic spoils with other ethnic groups."

    That said, Lee enjoyed immense influence on the world stage, particularly in China and the United States. In particular, he successfully prevailed upon Washington in the 1970s to commence the process of normalizing relations with Beijing, and his own diplomatic skills proved invaluable in helping to bring that process to a successful conclusion.

    We'll see what happens in Singapore, now that he's gone.

    Going Clear (none / 0) (#128)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 11:35:48 AM EST

    Looks like another documentary home run for HBO

    HBO's Scientology Exposé Going Clear Is Jaw-Dropping


    Sometimes (none / 0) (#152)
    by sj on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 12:34:24 PM EST
    I wish I had HBO...

    Parent
    for what it's worth (none / 0) (#177)
    by CST on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 01:13:01 PM EST
    I don't know if this is your case or not - but they will start offering stand-alone subscriptions to their online streaming service in April (presumably to coincide with Game of Thrones Season 5) so you can have it without having cable.

    Honestly - I almost never watch TV, but when I do it's usually HBO.  I have it for free as part of my introductory general cable package, but when that runs out I've thought seriously about cancelling cable and keeping HBO.

    Parent

    Thanks! (none / 0) (#192)
    by sj on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 03:28:13 PM EST
    I am definitely going to check that out.

    Parent
    HBO is definitely where it's at (none / 0) (#200)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 03:45:06 PM EST
    on the cable dial.  (Dial? Anyway) they are planning something completely without precedent for the King epic The Dark Tower.  Which, the last I heard, was a series of movies released in conjunction with a cable series.  Which, if you have read this massive tomb you see instantly makes perfect sense.

    In fact it might be the only way to make sense of 4,250 pages.

    Parent

    Can't wait (none / 0) (#183)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Mar 23, 2015 at 01:38:35 PM EST
    I'm a Lawrence Wright fan

    Parent
    My favorite anti-war "MASH" line ... (none / 0) (#203)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 12:06:32 AM EST
    ScottW314: "[Frank Burns'] love of war and hatred of the 'commies' and 'pinkos' and his total blatant disregard of humanity.  The guy can't wave a flag high enough, but when the S hits the fan, he's always somewhere hiding and barking out orders for someone else to be put in harms way."

    ... of all time was spoken by Frank Burns to Margaret Hoolihan, as they were cuddling under a tree outside the compound:

    "Oh, Margaret -- never before have so many been so miserable, just so so few could be so happy."

    ;-D

    A new open thread is up (none / 0) (#204)
    by Jeralyn on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 12:28:53 AM EST
    This one is closed now. Thanks.