COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Saturday, March 14, 2009

The Change of Barack Obama, sounds familiar.





117 comments:

  1. Well, is Obama more of the same, or an agent of major change?

    Taxes, back to the Clinton era rates, no major change there.

    Iraq, continues the Bush Strategy, no major change.

    Enemy Combatants will either be criminals or POWs. A change in rhetoric, but not policy.

    Duece has proven the point, today. President Obama is more of the same, from the Federals, he is not an agent of major change.

    Wonder why so many on the "Right" find that alarming.

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  2. It is the Air Force One 747, the gilded carriage of power and hubris that reduces their scant humility to nano flecks. It morphs them all into arrogant dangerous flaming assholes and weapons of republican destruction.

    Our rulers and masters preside over the fools that pick up the tab.

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  3. Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts, absolutely.

    To paraphrase someone else whose name escapes me. Some Brit, I do believe.

    The Imperial Presidency.

    It is the concentration of power, much more so than the fella that pulls the levers of the power, that is at issue.

    But there is no movement to limit that power, nor even to contain it.
    Not from either side of the aisle.

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  4. But there is no movement to limit that power, nor even to contain it.
    Not from either side of the aisle.
    ==

    Beppe Grillo. We need more Beppe Grillo.

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  5. Even that poet that posted a few days back, from Havana, blamed Obama for not writing the Legislation that was introduced in the House. Imagine, the Congress writing the Law, not the President. A failure of Leadership, was the charge.
    While Mr Obama, or any President, has no authority to write the Law.
    Just to enforce it.

    Which brings US back to that stem cell issue. Which "Law" will the Executive Branch choose to enforce? That written by the President, through Executive Orders, or the Law as passed by Congress in the Budget Act and subsequently signed by the President.

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  6. Now the economic course will be charted to reverse the trendlines in Figure 9, page 11

    What some have called the Rosetta Stone to the mind of Obama.

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  7. Lord Acton. He's generally right too.

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  8. We're thinking of going to the Porkulus protest in Boise on April 15th. Since I'd didn't do protesting in the roaring 60's quess I ought to get in some now while I still have the energy.

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  9. GWB said he would veto Campaign Finance Reform if it was Unconstitutional.

    ...then he didn't.


    BHO said he was the end of Earmarks.

    ...until he wasn't.

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  10. Look at it this way, if you're a Bushie, it's change you can believe in.

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  11. But Petraeus said a large military surge like the one in Iraq would not work in Afghanistan because there is not enough infrastructure on the ground to handle one, and because it is imperative that Afghans not view coalition forces as conquerors.

    No Surge In Afghanistan--Petraeus

    Who was know as General Betrayus by the left for awhile, and who Hillary basically called a liar.

    I wonder how he can stand working for this current bunch of arses.

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  12. The Obama Three-Step
    Hope and Change, or more of the same — only worse?

    By Rich Lowry

    Barack Obama has perfected a three-step maneuver that could never even be attempted by a politician lacking his rhetorical skill or cool cynicism.

    First: Denounce your presidential predecessor for a given policy, energizing your party’s base and capitalizing on his abiding unpopularity. Second: Pretend to have reversed that policy upon taking office with a symbolic act or high-profile statement. Third: Adopt a version of that same policy, knowing that it’s the only way to govern responsibly or believing that doing otherwise is too difficult. Repeat as necessary.

    The latest instance of the three-step in action is the matter of presidential signing statements. The Left yowled about President George W. Bush’s signing statements, arguing that they demonstrated his essential lawlessness. There was nothing new about the statements, which have been issued by presidents since the 19th century. Presidents use them to indicate that a particular provision in a law might be unconstitutional, or to set out how the executive will interpret a provision to avoid any conflict with the Constitution.

    Bush issued more signing statements than any other president, but — with a hostile Congress attempting to limit his war powers — he also was confronted with more legislation involving constitutionally contested ground. Obama promised change from Bush’s “abuse,” and the other day issued a headline-grabbing memorandum promising to limit the statements. Oh, blessed day!

    Former Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer, casting a justifiably jaundiced eye on the memo, noted of signing statements: “This has been a standard practice going back decades. They’re going to do the same thing, whenever they feel like it.” It took a mere 48 hours for Obama to issue his first signing statement, in the words of the New York Times, “reserving a right to bypass dozens of provisions in a $410-billion government spending bill even as he signed it into law.”

    Obama’s stipulations in the statement closely tracked those made by Bush. Amid the dramatic pose of change, essential continuity.

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  13. The trick for Obama will be redistributing the Fig 9 pg 11 curve.

    Optimally, the host and the parasite will coexist in a balanced, symbiotic relationship. Afterall, what good does it do to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs?

    First steps require that we be "conditioned" to expect Big Government to provide and protect. When a sufficient dependency has been established, the agenda can be expanded into other progressive areas.

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  14. al-Doug & Sonia

    Midnight bottle take me calmly through my memories
    And everything will come back to me
    Midnight bottle make it real what feels like make believe
    So I can see a little more clearly
    Like every single move you make,
    Kissing me so carefully,
    On the corners of my dreaming eyes

    I've got a midnight bottle gonna drink it down
    A one way ticket takes me to the times we had before
    When everything felt so right
    If only for tonight
    A midnight bottle gonna ease my pain
    From all these feelings driving me insane
    I think of you and everything's all right
    If only for tonight

    Got a midnight bottle
    Drifting off into the candlelight
    Where I can find you any old time
    Midnight bottle I forgot how good it felt to be in a dream
    just like you had me
    'Cause lately I've been stumbling feels like I'm recovering
    But I think it's only for tonight

    I've got a midnight bottle gonna drink it down
    A one way ticket takes me to the times we had before
    When everything felt so right
    If only for tonight
    I've got a midnight bottle gonna ease my pain
    From all these feelings driving me insane
    I think of you and everything's all right
    If only for tonight
    If only for tonight,
    Oh if only for tonight,
    If only for tonight

    I've got a midnight bottle gonna drink it down
    A one way ticket takes me to the times we had before
    When everything felt so right
    If only for tonight,
    A midnight bottle gonna ease my pain
    From all these feelings driving me insane
    I think of you and everything's all right
    If only for tonight
    Yeah
    Midnight bottle,
    Take the time away
    From where we are

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  15. Not one voter in one thousand will look at and understand the implication of DR's link and the intent of Messrs. Piketty and Saez. Demagogues and cynics always find a small minority worth of pillory and then over years expand their company and suffering. Federal Income tax is the best example.

    There is no cost to voting, little qualification and increasing consequence. Rely on your self.

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  16. Deuce:
    Thou shalt not knock the Obama Rossetta Stone!

    ---

    69. Doug:

    geoffgo:

    You will get credit for recycling empty Stolichnaya bottles.
    These credits can be applied to the purchase of said differently purposed cocktails.

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  17. Well, there is the increasing awareness that many in the top 1% have gotten there through playing a rigged game and many of US are getting pissed about that. Take for example the 15 million the GM boss takes home for losing 36 billion on sales of 9.3 million vehicles when the Toyota boss only takes home 1 million for profiting 7 billion on the sale of approx. the same number of vehicles. The rabble may be dumb but as they come to learn about shit like this they'll still be dumb but angry as well. Will the parasite manage to keep the diseased host alive? Recent economic events suggest not.

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  18. Right, Ash:
    The SOLUTION is to tax the Hell out of those who MAKE 200 K or more, while letting the Old Rich skate home free.
    ...the Obama differential redistribution plan.

    Kennedy Clan Reigns Supreme in Perpetuity.

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  19. MAKING MONEY = Bad

    HAVING MONEY = Good

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  20. Not only should the rich be taxed more but the regulations should be tightened to limit the pilfering (i.e. increased shareholder control over disclosure and compensation) and estate taxes raised to clamp down on 'old money'.

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  21. but nooooo, the republican mantra has been NO to double taxation (death taxes) and NO to indexation. Two stupid NO's really but it plays well with the proles and the rich 1%.

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  22. Well, the parasite needs to fulfill its side of the symbiotic relationship, afterall, it needs a thriving host.

    It seems to me, that possibly the greatest paradigm shift to come out of this crash is a US move away from the "growth model economics". I am just beginning to develop the kernel but one early thought is that we have been running a ponzi scheme economy and perhaps just had our international Madoff moment. To make matters worse, the left finds itself in full control of the throttle and steering.

    We could be wandering in the financial wilderness for a long time.

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  23. Are the Russians yanking our chain?
    MOSCOW – A Russian Air Force chief said Saturday that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has offered an island as a temporary base for strategic Russian bombers, the Interfax news agency reported.

    The chief of staff of Russia's long range aviation, Maj. Gen. Anatoly Zhikharev, also said Cuba could be used to base the aircraft, Interfax reported.

    The Kremlin, however, said the situation was hypothetical.

    "The military is speaking about technical possibilities, that's all," Alexei Pavlov, a Kremlin official, told The Associated Press. "If there will be a development of the situation, then we can comment," he said.

    Report: Cuba, venezuela could host Russian Bombers

    Is this an effort to move US and western public opinion toward a more passive, anti-US (as superpower) position? Is Putin sending a message that in the post US superpower world, he will contend with all comers over Central and South America? Is putin saying that what's good for the goose in eastern Europe is good for the gander is South America?

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  24. so the Elephant Bar endorses Alex Jones, and his film The Obama Deception is accurate?

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  25. A post is not necessarily a rebuke or an endorsement, but mostly an endorsement.

    The editorial opinion is stated separately from the usually unedited piece.

    The headline is often fraught with slant, bias and pre-judgement.

    The comments are relevant or irrelevant, mostly the latter.

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  26. Whit,

    I've long thought the 'growth model' to be flawed. I've marveled at how dependent we are upon maintaining growth and that the underpinning of growth is population growth. We cannot grow our population forever. Now Rufus will chime in that we can continue to grow through technological innovation and productivity growth but our addiction to growth won't be satiated simply by that, more difficult growth. You may be right that the current economic crisis will force the changes (whatever they may be, specifically) we need.

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  27. Deuce, a provocateur? No, say it ain't so!

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  28. Yeah, that's pretty much what ol' rufus would say. Take a gander at what a summer's wages would have bought in 49' vs. what It would Buy Today.

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  29. Missing from the analysis:

    The quality of the k-12 education in '49 vs today.

    The lack of anti-American "education" then vs now.

    A pro-American culture and Pop-Culture then vs the sewage endorsed by the Ashes of our culture now.

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  30. Unless, of course, you were born with one, or more, black parents.

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  31. A black child born in '49 was likely to have a mom and a dad, or else extended family.
    Today, he is bequeathed the legacy of FDR, LBJ, and the NEA of today.

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  32. He/She was also guaranteed a substandard education in a poorly-funded, segregated school, and a life of exclusion from All the best Colleges, Jobs, and Quality of Life in America.

    Don't shit me, Bubba; you wouldn't have wanted any part of it for your kids.

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  33. But, we digress. The point is, "I DO think technology will save us all." If it's at all possible to "save us," that is. :)

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  34. Wall Street and Dead Donkeys

    Young Chuck, moved to Texas and bought a donkey from a farmer for $100.

    The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day. The next day he drove up and said, "Sorry son, but I have some bad news. The donkey died."

    Chuck replied, "Well, then just give me my money back."

    The farmer said, "Can't do that. I went and spent it already."

    Chuck said, "Ok, then, just bring me the dead donkey."

    The farmer asked, "What ya gonna do with him?"

    Chuck said, "I'm going to raffle him off."

    The farmer said, "You can't raffle off a dead donkey!"

    Chuck said, "Sure I can. Watch me. I just won't tell anybody he's dead."

    A month later, the farmer met up with Chuck and asked, "What happened with that dead donkey?"

    Chuck said, "I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars a piece and made a profit of $898.00."

    The farmer said, "Didn't anyone complain?"

    Chuck said, "Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back."

    Chuck now works for Morgan Stanley in their OTC Default Derivative Department.

    .
    .
    http://benbittrolff.blogspot.com/2009/03/wall-street-and-dead-donkeys.html

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  35. As my business grows I shall buy technology so I will not have to have more employees...

    Every machine I buy will reduce the need for an employee or two...

    all hail BHO....

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  36. We should tax the hell out of anybody that's got more 'n you and me, eh, Ash.

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  37. And we certainly shouldn't let them pass it on to the next generation, wouldn't be fair to the kids with deadbeat mom and dads.

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  38. Technology better save us, because we can't make a go at farming with Mat's dead mule. Life will become short and brutal.

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  39. One wonders why struggle a lifetime and be responsible for the wife and kids if it's just going into a pool to be doled out to Ron and Misty in the post below in the end.

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  40. Well, bobal, you've got the flip side to that where someone makes a big pile of money and their family dominates for generations thereafter. Money makes money dontcha know?

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  41. Here in Canada there is one clan, the Bronfman's, who made their initial fortune running liquor in prohibition days. I wonder what wonderful wealthy clans the drug cartels will yield?

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  42. I thought of you, Bobal, when I saw this in my local paper



    NEW STUDY: THE HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS PROJECT
    Scientists get set to peer down the tunnel beyond death

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090314.DEATH14/TPStory/?query=tunnel+beyond+death

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  43. Here in America the name is Kennedy and Kerrey. (I heard grandpa Kerrey had some boats running drugs to the Chinese, but not sure if it's true).

    I'm just talkin' you and me, Ash. Anybody got more, fair game, eh?

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  44. That seems to be a basic human psychological trait - NIMBY.

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  45. This month, Mario Beauregard, a neuroscientist at the University of Montreal who collaborates with Dr. Parnia...

    Yeah, have heard about the project, and have heard about the fellows Beauregard and Parnia. Tis interesting.

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  46. Your frontal is starting to freak me out, Ash. :)

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  47. Their question: How do brain cells that generate electricity and proteins also produce human thought and free will?

    Excellent question. How do we make a picture of the world.

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  48. “To take from one because it is thought that his own industry and that of his father’s has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association–the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it.” Thomas Jefferson

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  49. "Chuck" = little Chucky Schumer
    ---

    You've done this before, Rufus:
    Don't judge others by yourself. (or, more properly, your own experience)

    Black children born in Watts, Hunter's Point (San Fran Nan now owns the good stuff) or Brooklyn on average got educations far better than do black (esp Male) children born there today.

    Even in my backwoods town full of Okies, a black child born in '42 became a popular football star while getting a first class education in our first class schools.

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  50. On the other hand, it's also true

    "A man alone ain't got no chance"


    as Harry Morgan says as he is dying, in To Have and Have Not.

    So this is a challenge to social policy, how to set the balance.

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  51. Rudy Giuliani and Tom Sowell both got excellent educations despite the circumstances of their birth.

    Rudy's dad was a mobster, but his mentor was a Catholic teacher.

    Tom was black but the schools he went to were first rate (esp compared to today) and had not yet become Dumbed-down, Anti-American, Commie Indoctrination Centers.

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  52. Russia is saying 'thanks' for not putting the missile defense in Poland and Czechoslovakia by landing bombers in Venezuela and Cuba. As North Korea readies a missile test and Iran plunges ahead. While we cut our own balls off on the energy front.

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  53. "bobal said...
    Your frontal is starting to freak me out, Ash. :)
    "
    ---
    That's a composite picture of the "Heart" and "Soul" of a "Liberal."

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  54. Pearl Harbor
    Picture #4 gives evidence of equal pay for equal work in Honorooru in 1943.

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  55. Somebody described the new green gang in Washington D.C. as the 'gangrene' :)

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  56. 94. peterike:

    Woops! Here comes another one of those “tests” Biden was talking about.

    Russia could use bases for its strategic bombers on the doorstep of the United States in Cuba and Venezuela to underpin long-distance patrols in the region, a senior air force officer said Saturday.

    Yuppers. It’s the Cuban Missle Crisis all over again, times two. Just as Kruschev thought Kennedy a light-weight who could be pressed, so too does…. well, everyone.. think Obimbo is a light-weight who can be pressed. And in this case they’re right. Or actualy much worse, he’s a commie-symp. He won’t even consider it being pressed.

    Bombers in Cuba and Venezuela? What, me worry?


    95. Doug:

    Them bombers are only there because of their oil interests in the area.
    Purely defensive, don’tcha see?

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  57. New Paradigms of Anal Cerebralimpactacus.

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  58. Young Roberts knows what's good for him and his beautiful family:

    He will not be heard from again on this matter.

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  59. Dr. Orly Taitz has more balls than 98.7 percent of the Males under 60 living in the USA.

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  60. She's from Russia, she knows how bad it can get.

    Damn, I'm kicking myself for not going to that event. Knew it was happening too. But didn't know Taitz was going to be there.

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  61. I'm gonna go to that Porkulus Protest in Boise, just made up my mind.

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  62. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  63. The State of Hawaii will testify that the data on Obama's published birth certificate is an accurate image of his filed data.

    Which they already have done

    They will testify that the Governor did not order any special accomedations for Obama's birth certificate.

    Which they already have done

    There are no hard copy records of anyone's birth certificate, in Hawaii, unless the Governor so orders that there be such special accomedation made for that individual.

    The entire Hawaiian birth certificate system is digital, there are no hard copies maintained. Hawaii was the first State to digitalize its' birth record data base, it is held out as the example of high technology saving citizens time and expense.

    It's just bytes.

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  64. The mutiny in Iraq was on the cover of the Globe, over to the Walmart. So, it shall not be long until those soldiers are dishonorably discharged or worse.

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  65. We've been here before. The best case was Donofrio's about the correct meaning of Natural Born Citizen.

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  66. Someone's changed their tune.

    Obama says US economy sound, reassures investors

    WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama on Saturday downplayed divisions between the U.S. and Europe over how to tackle the world's financial crisis and said China should have "absolute confidence" that its sizable investments in the United States are safe.

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  67. "It's just bytes."
    ---
    Just like an election Fraud Video I saw.
    I'll try and find it.

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  68. Meltdown

    This is the community agitator and ACORN attorney named Barack Obama, who sued Citibank in 1994; one of hundreds of nuisance lawsuits filed by ACORN and its affiliates to loosen mortgage underwriting standards.

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  69. Damn, I'm kicking myself for not going to that event. Knew it was happening too. But didn't know Taitz was going to be there.
    ==

    Beppe Grillo. We need more Beppe Grillos.

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  70. January 7, 2009
    Interview of Orly Taitz: Chief Justice Roberts calls conference on Obama challenge — Lightfoot v. Bowen
    By Arlen Williams
    .
    .
    Taitz stressed that the public must know immediately about matters that may have been hidden in Barack Obama's candidacy, citing one example, that "Most of the country has no clue that one relative can go to the state of Hawaii and sign an affidavit that 'my relative was born a citizen'" and thus gain an Hawaiian birth certificate for that person, even if he were born abroad. That is the same kind of birth certificate that Barack Obama has not allowed to be seen, but which Hawaiian state officials have reported exists in privately held state records.
    .
    .

    http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/williams/090107

    http://snipurl.com/dtigi

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  71. A Black lady I knew here was born in Brooklyn in the thirties.
    She talked about the kids playing safely in the streets, where neighborhood parents all acted in loco parentis for the kid's own good and safety.
    She's married too a white Doctor.
    Not easy folks to work for, as I found out!

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  72. Took 3 months for Bridge Company in Honolulu to right the USS Oklahoma.
    Today it would take a decade or more, or simply be classified as too expensive to attempt.
    (or illegal due to pollution regulations)

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  73. Larry,
    As I noted in #61, the Chi-Coms understand this well:

    They employ thousands making photovoltaic panels to sell to us and invest the profits in new coal powerplants!

    (my neighbor has 16, plans on 32 to become Carbon Neutral)

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  74. (no need for messy bookeeping showing that buying PV Panels increases Coal Generated CO2)

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  75. Bobbeppigrillo

    Never heard of Grillo before.

    al-Doug, did they ever get that inter-island ferry going again?

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  76. I haven't kept up.
    Last I heard from the wife, no.
    Will check.

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  77. The $39 fare is a flat rate for adults, military personnel, seniors and children. Infants under two years of age travel free. Passengers who book 14 days in advance will save an additional $5 per person.

    One-way vehicle fares from $57, which includes the fuel surcharge amount. These one-way passenger and vehicle fares do not include applicable taxes and fees. Peak pricing is applicable on certain travel days.
    ---
    That vehicle fare is a Hell of a deal.
    Don't know what a van full of produce would cost.

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  78. Long vehicle (up to 8' high and between 17-20' long)
    $65 all days.

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  79. Walt, you remind me of beautiful Boonville

    History and description of Boontling
    Although based on English, Boontling's unusual words are unique to Boonville, California. Scottish Gaelic and Irish, and some Pomoan and Spanish, also influenced the vocabulary of the language.[1] Boontling was invented in the late 1800s and had quite a following at the turn of the century. It is now mostly spoken only by aging counter-culturists and native Anderson Valley residents. Because the town of Boonville only has a little over 700 residents, Boontling is an extremely esoteric dialect, and is quickly becoming archaic. It has over a thousand unique words and phrases.

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  80. The Beer Nut Do you speak Boontling - Holland, MI - The Holland Sentinel
    I can picture it now: a high pockets walking along the Baldies with his favorite apple-head enjoying aplenty bahl steinber horn from the Anderson Valley Brewing Company while deeking out for a bluetail.

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  81. Cargo UAVs considered for supply delivery
    By this summer, combat troops in Afghanistan could be resupplied by giant unmanned aerial vehicles, a Marine Corps general told Congress.

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  82. That is the same kind of birth certificate that Barack Obama has not allowed to be seen, but which Hawaiian state officials have reported exists in privately held state records.

    How convenient.

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  83. Anyone here ever had an apple martini?

    Tastes kinda like vodka and cheap bubble bath.

    Who thinks up shit like that?

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  84. I take that as a no.




    "Duece has proven the point, today. President Obama is more of the same, from the Federals, he is not an agent of major change."

    Shhhhhhhhhhh. Don't tell anyone. Where would our two party system be without pitched battles between the forces of Sauron and the dwarves, hobbits, and elves that are meant to heroicly defeat them?

    The narrative falls apart, man.

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  85. Any martini is good, especially apple. It probably was the kind of mix you used. I've never had a problem.

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  86. you haven't been getting out much there trish if you are surprised by an Apple Martini. Heck, they've got a zillion kind of drinks called 'martini' now and they generally are not cheap! Makes ordering a martini a damn sight more complicated as well. So much for simply saying up and dry.

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  87. I can tell Trish has been at the Book Club again.

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  88. heheh, yeah, my thoughts as well.

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  89. yet still mightily coherent though

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  90. I am aware of the 'tini trend. Sara-someone on Food Network has a 'tini for every conceivable occasion - including perhaps children's parties and barn raisings.

    I am not a 'tini gal.

    A friend enthusiastically offered, and I accepted.

    Didn't give me the dry heaves, quite, but I'll nevertheless take a gin and tonic if a mixed drink is called for.

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  91. You're right, a multi-party system would dilute the forces of ill to the point you'd couldn't identify 'em so easily. Be like a boxing match with four or five sides, what sense would that make? Or a Superbowl with three teams.

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  92. Ash, you really have to do something about that avatar.

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  93. There is some good news, though. The report states that abilities based on accumulated knowledge, such as performance on tests of vocabulary or general information, increase until at least the age of 60.

    This is called wisdom.

    Is Beyonce Beyond Her Prime>

    Couldn't tell it by me.

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  94. I got the same treatment, Ash. Just do as she says.

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  95. I read The Elegance of the Hedgehog last weekend, bob, and highly recommend it. Translated from the French, it is nevertheless a joy for prose fanatics. Also read The Last Lecture. Completely different, but enjoyable in its own way.

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  96. Hmm,..
    Pink Dolphin = new Black Swan

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  97. You could use one of my Sarah Palin pictures, Ash, but you'd get in trouble for that too.

    Got the Elegance of the Hedgehog on my list, Trish. Will try to get the other one too, if I can.

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  98. If I had an avatar, what would it be?

    Red dirt road.

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  99. 'Course I never saw real, red dirt roads til I was thirty-odd. (Let me tell you: That red cannot be washed out of your socks, regardless of the amount of bleach.)

    But that's beside the point.

    We all know those roads, in our own way.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djx3iGRQtV8

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  100. My daughter and her friend drove from Dribbling Spigot, AZ, to LV. running out of gas in a place between called Baghdad.

    No shit.

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  101. Least they made it to Baghdad. Those are long miles out there, to walk.

    I like having two cars on a trip like that. Or one really good one, with one of Mat's scooters hooked on the bumper.

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  102. "Least they made it to Baghdad."

    Amazing what the young can do.

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  103. Oracle tweetcast #5
    Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert's tweetcast
    We talk about James Cramer, admission of market manipulation that is three years old and about the newly profitable bailed out banks

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

    Max makes the argument that the banks are engaged in racketeering. I agree.

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