Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Is America paying attention to what Obama is doing?




Obama Sells Out on Free Speech at the UN

Written by James Heiser
John Birch Society
Tuesday, 06 October 2009

It has been pretty clear that the Obama administration does not look with particular favor on the second amendment, but it is also becoming increasingly evident that the President is not much of a ‘fan’ of the first one, either.

According to an article by Anne Bayefsky (“You Can’t Say That — At the UN, the Obama administration backs limits on free speech”),

The Obama administration has marked its first foray into the UN human rights establishment by backing calls for limits on freedom of expression. The newly-minted American policy was rolled out at the latest session of the UN Human Rights Council, which ended in Geneva on Friday. American diplomats were there for the first time as full Council members and intent on making friends.

President Obama chose to join the Council despite the fact that the Organization of the Islamic Conference holds the balance of power and human rights abusers are among its lead actors, including China, Cuba, and Saudi Arabia. Islamic states quickly interpreted the president's penchant for "engagement" as meaning fundamental rights were now up for grabs. Few would have predicted, however, that the shift would begin with America's most treasured freedom.

For more than a decade, a UN resolution on the freedom of expression was shepherded through the Council, and the now defunct Commission on Human Rights which it replaced, by Canada. Over the years, Canada tried mightily to garner consensus on certain minimum standards, but the "reformed" Council changed the distribution of seats on the UN's lead human rights body. In 2008, against the backdrop of the publication of images of Mohammed in a Danish newspaper, Cuba and various Islamic countries destroyed the consensus and rammed through an amendment which introduced a limit on any speech they claimed was an "abuse ... [that] constitutes an act of racial or religious discrimination."

The Obama administration decided that a revamped freedom of expression resolution, extracted from Canadian hands, would be an ideal emblem for its new engagement policy. So it cosponsored a resolution on the subject with none other than Egypt — a country characterized by an absence of freedom of expression.

Privately, other Western governments were taken aback and watched the weeks of negotiations with dismay as it became clear that American negotiators wanted consensus at all costs. In introducing the resolution on Thursday, October 1 — adopted by consensus the following day — the ranking U.S. diplomat, Chargé d'Affaires Douglas Griffiths, crowed:

"The United States is very pleased to present this joint project with Egypt. This initiative is a manifestation of the Obama administration's commitment to multilateral engagement throughout the United Nations and of our genuine desire to seek and build cooperation based upon mutual interest and mutual respect in pursuit of our shared common principles of tolerance and the dignity of all human beings."

His Egyptian counterpart, Ambassador Hisham Badr, was equally pleased — for all the wrong reasons. He praised the development by telling the Council that "freedom of expression ... has been sometimes misused," insisting on limits consistent with the "true nature of this right" and demanding that the "the media must ... conduct ... itself in a professional and ethical manner."

The new resolution, championed by the Obama administration, has a number of disturbing elements. It emphasizes that "the exercise of the right to freedom of expression carries with it special duties and responsibilities ..." which include taking action against anything meeting the description of "negative racial and religious stereotyping." It also purports to "recognize ... the moral and social responsibilities of the media" and supports "the media's elaboration of voluntary codes of professional ethical conduct" in relation to "combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance."

The administration’s position should hardly be a shock because the Left almost always speaks of "rights" in terms of group identity — not the individual. Thus every right must be evaluated in terms of identity politics and class struggle (white vs. black, male vs. female, rich vs. poor, bourgeoisie vs. proletariat) and described in terms of victimization and liberation. For the Left, the individual does not have identity or rights — such things are possessions of the collective to which one belongs. Therefore, the administration’s position enunciated before the UN Human Rights Council coincides with the interests of Islamists: silencing critics of Islam by making it impossible to criticize their perverse (by Western standards) and militant worldview. Islam cannot win the war of ideas and cannot yet silence all of its critics through force of arms, so some of its adherents want to silence those who would speak the truth by means of a perversion of the law.

Bayefsky observes that,

Even the normally feeble European Union tried to salvage the American capitulation by expressing the hope that the resolution might be read a different way. Speaking on behalf of the EU following the resolution's adoption, French Ambassador Jean-Baptiste Mattéi declared that "human rights law does not, and should not, protect religions or belief systems, hence the language on stereotyping only applies to stereotyping of individuals . . . and not of ideologies, religions or abstract values. The EU rejects the concept of defamation of religions." The EU also distanced itself from the American compromise on the media, declaring that "the notion of a moral and social responsibility of the media" goes "well beyond" existing international law and "the EU cannot subscribe to this concept in such general terms."

However, while one can appreciate Bayefsky’s analysis of the perversity of the position taken by the Obama administration, regrettably she has not yet arrived at the correct response. Bayefsky is a Senior Fellow with the Hudson Institute; her website (bayefsky.com) “was designed for the purpose of enhancing the implementation of the human rights legal standards of the United Nations. Accessibility to UN human rights norms by individuals everywhere is fundamental to their successful realization. The information provided herein encompasses a range of data concerning the application of the UN human rights treaty system by its monitoring treaty bodies since their inauguration in the 1970's.” MORE

111 comments:

  1. No, we're still too pissed off at the Republicans.

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  2. It's hard to argue, "Those guys are going to screw it up,"

    when your guys, "DID Screw it up."

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  3. Look, I have to write the Government a check every month. They had to take that money and bail out the Liars, and Thieves that damned near destroyed the economy of the whole damned world.

    Then, I turn on CNBC, and have to listen to them whine about those same damned thieves not getting to keep their Billions in "Bonuses."

    In the next breath they tell me that health care reform will "destroy Capitalism."

    Pardon me if I can't take them seriously. John, and Joan Public know that the previous administration(s) "screwed the pooch." They figure as bad as the Obamas might be they can't be any worse.

    They're wrong, but you can't blame them for feeling that way.

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  4. His poll number are rising , so I guess this is about as good as it is going to get.

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  5. This UN language looks very similar to "Hate Crime" statutes, so there you go.

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  6. Obama IS squarely in the middle, that's the epiphany that most are trying to avoid or ignore.

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  7. The Dumbos thought that going to Copenhagen and failing would hurt his poll numbers. What planet do they live on.

    The American people have NEVER blamed someone for TRYING. We've All failed at one time, or another. We just won't countenance someone who "Doesn't Try."

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  8. I am amazed that a majority of Americans, based on polls this morning, are all in for a third US war over Iran.

    Now there is the best arguement ever for a return for the draft. I suppose it is the same as all those who do not pay income taxes as being for more government spending.

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  9. John Q. Public didn't listen to his "speech." They're out trying to live their life, and make a buck. They saw on TV that he went to Copenhagen, and tried to "Get the Olympics." WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT?

    They hear that he's "indecisive" on Afghanistan. I've got news for you; "They're Conflicted on Afghanistan, too." Every grown man, alive, has had to spend a certain amount of time cleaning up the messes of "leaders" that were "Decisive," and "Sure of what they were doing."

    Republicans just have one problem. They don't realize how sick the public is of them.

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  10. Americans don't mind "War." Mainly, because "War," with a volunteer Army, is like Monday Night Football. They just don't want it to stretch out past 11:30.

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  11. Very, very few Americans have the slightest idea what a "War with Iran" would look like. There's a reason those people still speak "farsi" and not some other language.

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  12. My God, can you imagine trying to "occupy" THAT place?

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  13. Rufus, I think most of the folk here are waiting to hear Obama's position on the matter so that they can oppose it.

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  14. Ash said...
    Rufus, I think most of the folk here are waiting to hear Obama's position on the matter so that they can oppose it.


    No ash, the tidal wave of obama appeasement actions are so vast it's dizzying to keep up with them...

    the UN's "human rights council" is but one of 3 dozen disgusting things obumbler is trying to accomplish...

    not to worry, obumbler is going to cause global wars from sea to shining sea soon...

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  15. I still don't understand how ten times worse fiscal irresponsibility is no worse than the Pubs.
    ...or a bunch of pervs, America haters, crooks and terrorists becoming BHO's Czars are not just a bit discomforting.
    Or a POTUS that kisses tyrants asses while kicking allies in the teeth.
    Etc.
    ---
    Hotel defaults, foreclosures rise in California

    In the state, defaults and foreclosures are up fivefold since Jan. 1.

    Statewide, more than 300 hotels were in foreclosure or default on their loans as of Sept. 30 -- a nearly fivefold increase since the start of the year, according to an industry report released Tuesday.
    ---
    In Southern California alone, there were at least 140 hotels in default or foreclosure in September, including 55 hotels in the Inland Empire, 33 in Los Angeles County and 30 in San Diego County, according to the report by Atlas Hospitality Group. Statewide, 260 hotels were in default on their loans and 47 had been taken over by their lenders in foreclosure, the Atlas report said.
    ---
    Part of the problem is that unlike home loans, mortgages on larger hotels typically are supposed to be repaid in full after five to 10 years. Many of them are coming due now. But like their residential counterparts, many hotel owners refinanced their places at the top of the real estate market, often taking equity out of their properties. So the loans are ballooning at just the time when there are few guests at the hotels, and the properties are worth little.

    "We expect this number to rise dramatically by the end of the year and into 2010, because we're seeing so many hotels operating under forbearance," Reay said.

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  16. I don't see how they're any worse than the Pubs. Looks like the same team, to me.

    Besides, it doesn't matter what it looks like "to me." It's how it looks to the "average Joe," and the "average Joe" is pissed at "all of them."

    Doug, this shit hit on Dubya's watch. No use trying to dance around it. "Average Joe" ain't dancing around it. He "Knows" it.

    The Pubs are about to "overdo" the Obama-slamming. The American people ALWAYS root for the "Underdog." At some point they will say, "Fuck the Pubs; Obama, Hell Yeah."

    I'm damned near there, myself. And, "I" Know what a piece of shit, Communist, Muzzie the cock-sucker is.

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  17. And, why would "I" possibly give a shit if some asshole built one "Hotel" too many?

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  18. Israeli scientists have achieved a breakthrough in alternative energy, by generating electricity from road traffic. The technology was developed by Ra'anana-based start up Innowwattech Ltd., and Israel National Roads Company Ltd. and the Technion Israel Institute of Technology participated in the trial.

    Innowwattech says that presents a pioneering invention for "Parasitic Energy harvesting".

    The trial proved, for the first time in the world, how Israeli technology can generate electricity from generators installed beneath a road's asphalt layer. The trial was conducted along a ten-meter stretch of Road 4 at the Hefer Junction, north of Hadera. Following the success of the test, it will be expanded to several one-kilometer stretches of the road, one of Israel's main north-south traffic arteries.

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  19. Ash, I'll criticize him over Everything "except" Afghanistan. That deal is so fucked up that there ISN'T a "Good" option.

    I think most people would understand if he went on national tv, and flipped a coin.

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  20. The fiscal irresponsibility reached a crescendo during the Reagan years, and the Federal Socialists have never looked back.

    If you want to differentiate them, doug, go right ahead. But they are one and the same, Republicans and Democrats.
    Federal Socialists all.

    They argue about the notes in the margins, that's all. There are a thousand points of light that prove the point.

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  21. It won't work. It's the modern equivalent of "perpetual motion."

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  22. Man of "desperation" has been telling us that the "big war" is right around the corner, for as long as he's been posting.

    Just over the horizon, always.

    You are correct, deuce, the Average Joe has no comprehension of the fallout from "War with Iran".

    Like it'd be over in a minute, you know.

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  23. That's a brilliant idea - generating electricity from traffic...kinda like hydro electric power...

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  24. I don't see it as anything like perpetual motion rufus. The traffic flows pretty constantly in many places and if you can harness some of that energy (i.e. through compression as the weight of cars pass over) well, it seems feasible and elegant.

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  25. Trust me, Ash. By the time they get through figuring it out you will see that the same amount of energy is being taken from the car's progress as is being "produced" from the compression.

    It will be, somewhat, analogous to continually driving up a 0.5 degree (or somesuch number) incline.

    One of them "thermodynamical laws" says there ain't no free lunch. And, "it's the Law."

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  26. I hear ya Rufus though some of the energy gained through electricity could simply be wasted at the moment. On the other hand if each car driver did contribute a small portion more of energy it is one rather benign way of 'taxing' the oil user.

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  27. They would not be creating energy, just capturing and reusing what ever was powering the vehicles on the road.

    That energy collected would not be enough to re-energize the fleet. But could be a supplement to whatever was.

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  28. They wouldn't really be "reusing" energy, Rat. The energy they're using is being "Stolen" from the car. Either the "Car" can use it, or the "Road" can use it; but, they "Both" can't use it.

    Ash has it right. They can "steal" a little here, and "steal" a little there, (kind of like taking 1/10 of a penny from everyone's bank account,) and say, "Lookee Here, I *Found* some Energy!"

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  29. Take a look at a car going 'downhill' - say coming down from a bridge. The car is, in a sense, 'falling' due to the gravitational pull and the tires and roadway are opposing that 'fall'. This gravitational pull on the car could possibly be harnessed (i.e. compression pads driving a turbine) that wouldn't necessarily add to the drag on the car.

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  30. Rufus is right.

    Retrieving energy otherwise lost to braking is the only positive aspect of the magic road. Otherwise it's all theft of energy from the car.

    Bottom line is that it's kludge. Imagine if you will the mechanical aspects of keeping it running and tuned up.

    It also is one greenie's wet dream stealing energy from another greenie's fantasy. When a hybrid with regenerative braking crosses the magic road, the road would steal range from the hybrid.

    I'm not too sure how breathtakingly innovative it is either. The same principle has been installed at shopping mall parking garages in the US long enough to be dissected at Coyote blog. Y'all can look it up.

    That's a brilliant idea - generating electricity from traffic...kinda like hydro electric power...

    ...well, it seems feasible and elegant
    .

    ???

    Well...

    Consider the source.

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  31. US Poll: Support for Military Option against Iran 'If Necessary'.

    by Gil Ronen

    US Readying Fresh Iran Sanctions.

    ...Most Americans support military strike

    A majority of Americans doubt that diplomacy with Iran will succeed in preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. They think the U.S. should strike Iran militarily if that is the only way to prevent its acquisition of nuclear weapons.

    A Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey released Tuesday determined that 61 percent of Americans would support a military strike in order to prevent Iran's from arming itself with nuclear weapons. Twenty-four percent said it was more important to avoid conflict even if that means Iran would end up building nuclear arms.

    While 63 percent supported direct U.S. negotiations with Iran, 64 percent said such efforts would not succeed
    .

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  32. In passing, I note that one Israeli/Jew/Jewess/Zionist has won a Nobel Prize, thus far.

    Jews comprise about 0.25% of the world's population and about 2% of the US.

    Of the world's citizens, 20% of Nobel Prizes in chemistry have gone to Jews. 28% of Americans winning in Chemistry have been Jewish.

    Of Nobel Prizes in economics, 42% of the world total and 56% of the American total have gone to Jews.

    In physics, 26% of the world and 37% of the American totals have gone to Jews.

    Looking at physiology and medicine, the numbers are 28% and 41% respectively.

    The disparities are mind-boggling, and under any other circumstance would be considered miraculous.

    When the Kyoto Prize is considered, 33% of all recipients for work in advanced technology and 23% of recipients in basic sciences have been Jews.

    To repeat, about 0.25% of the world's population is Jewish.

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  33. Urban Renewal

    Developers of a new Jewish neighborhood on privately-owned land in eastern Jerusalem plan to lay the cornerstone for the project Wednesday afternoon, ignoring U.S. President Barack Obama’s opposition to Jewish “settlers" in the area.

    Former Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau and National Union Knesset Member Uri Ariel plan to be on hand for the ceremony which marks the development of 105 luxury units in Nof Tzion. A new Torah scroll also will be dedicated.

    The project is located in the Jabel Mukabar neighborhood, home to several terrorists with Israeli identity cards who have carried out murderous attacks on Israelis, including the murder of eight students at the Merkaz HaRav yeshiva last year.

    Police are deployed to prevent violence that has spread throughout eastern Jerusalem this week.

    The new development project is the second stage of the Nof Tzion neighborhood and “is the best answer to incitement and violence from extremist elements,” according to the Im Tirtzu (If You Will It) organization. Ninety-one residential units already have been built, and most of them have been sold
    .

    Seems the stare down contest continues, and Bibi hasn't blinked yet. Look for Barry to break out in one of his signature grins any time now to save face.

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  34. linear wrote:

    "Imagine if you will the mechanical aspects of keeping it running and tuned up."

    Yah, where is the problem? There are any number of ways of transferring the energy from the downward pressure of an automobile - either pistons driving camshafts or using fluids are two methods that come immediately to mind.

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  35. Yah, where is the problem?

    Read what you quote, doofus.

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  36. And, Allen, it's because of posts like that that the percentage is liable to go down.

    Don't you realize how much damage you do with that type of comment?

    Goddammit, everybody knows "Jews are Smart." Your problem isn't that your "brilliance" isn't recognized. Your problem is that "you're not smart enough to disarm the envy that is sure to come your way."

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  37. The car is, in essence, falling into a hole, driving out of it, falling into a hole, driving out of it, falling into a hole, driving out of it . . . . .

    Basically, driving up an incline, forever.

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  38. allen proves there is no anti-Jewish discrimination, then bemoans the discrimination.

    Professional victimhood.

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  39. Plus, you couldn't even imagine the costs of building, and Maintaining such a road.

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  40. Blogger linearthinker said...

    Yah, where is the problem?

    Read what you quote, doofus

    Wow, brilliant argument old man. Fluid strikes me as the simplest method - least amount of moving parts.

    Rufus, when going down, as in off of an elevated bridge or down a hillside there is loads of energy that could be tapped without 'stealing' it from the forward momentum of the car. In fact you would be reducing the friction by decreasing the load from the gravitational pull. I'm sure Linear can rebut this by saying "doofus".

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  41. more cost than building a nuke plant? I doubt it.

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  42. There would be "situations," Ash. Coming off "Grapevine" would be one. Any place where you were going to use your brakes, anyway. In front of a Stop Sign would be another.

    Of course, by the time such a project could be built, we would probably all be driving hybrids, anyway; and all you would be doing is "stealing energy from the batteries." :)

    Honestly, Ash; I think this was thought up by someone who's never worked for the highway dept.

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  43. Where does the idea of "stealing the energy" come from?

    The initial energy is expended to move the vehicle. It is gone, creating the vehicle's movement

    If the moving vehicle can be used to produce energy, it is just part of the toll for the road, not theft of energy that is lost to the road, regardless.

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  44. Ash, if that deal could come in within a hundred times the cost/kwh of a nuke plant I'd be the most surprised redneck on the planet.

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  45. Okay, Ten times the cost per kilowatt hour.

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  46. Wow, brilliant argument old man.

    Thank you, Ash.

    Now go out to the garage and change your own oil. Do a tune up. A little time spent cranking a wrench will give you an appreciation for the subtle issues of maintenance and tuning, an obviously new experience for you.

    Once you've cleaned the grease from your hands, you can resume your conversation with the grownups. Until then, read what you quote, doofus.

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  47. Rat, the car's forward momentum is energy that's "bought, and paid for." Such a road would be, continually, reducing the car's forward momentum. For it to work the section of the road the car is ON must sink (that's how the energy is transferred.) If that section sinks the car must "drive out of the hole." This steals forward momentum.

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  48. Do you envision this as a solution to unemployment, Ash? An army of maintenance techs, roving the country side, greasing, adjusting, tweaking, replacing breakers, capacitors, re-splicing connections, patching leaks in hydraulics, balancing load to demand. Sounds like the great progressive movement in Oregon where the state passed a law prohibiting you from pumping your own gas at a filling station. Now a high school dropout sprints out from the kiosk and scolds you whenever you have the temerity to grab the hose yourself.

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  49. rufus, you have to get to the bottom of the hill regardless of whether the 'road' eases your descent. I'm not sure how such a system would work at a stop sign though.

    Linear, maybe you should take that wrench out of your ass and do a modest exploration of fluid dynamics.

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  50. No Linear, it sounds like a project a private company could do.

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  51. Now, that's not to say that there isn't, sometimes, a lunch "going to waste" (eg. summer sunlight falling on my roof, heat from braking, coal/oil in the ground, etc.)

    It's just that this isn't one of those times (except, for examples given.)

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  52. It would work at a stop sign the same way it would work anywhere else. The only difference is, you wouldn't mind it robbing you of a little forward momentum, since you would be in the process of stopping, anyway.

    You wouldn't use it on a hill unless the hill was so steep that you were going to be "riding your brakes" on the way down.

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  53. Linear, maybe you should take that wrench out of your ass and do a modest exploration of fluid dynamics.

    Don't even go there, Ash. I'd have to disarm you and shove your own arguments even farther up your ass to get your attention.

    Besides, it's not seemly to do mental combat with an unarmed opponent. Doesn't fit into the code of the west.

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  54. There you go Linear beating a hasty retreat of ad hominems as per your usual.

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  55. No Linear, it sounds like a project a private company could do.
    .

    So said the legislature in Oregon, ignoring the fact that someone has to pay for the attendants to pump your gas.

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  56. Go change your oil, Ash.

    I'm not your high school physics teacher, and I'm not impressed.

    You tire me with your inane stupidity.

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  57. There you go Linear beating a hasty retreat of ad hominems as per your usual.

    It's only noblesse oblige, Ash.

    I'm just trying to spare you the fate of Sisyphus, bound to an eternity of frustration trying to win an intellectual battle for which you're poorly equipped.

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  58. You're just a coward Linear. At least I've got the courage to advance and argument. Carry on talking through your hat impressing all and sundry with your faux erudition.

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  59. 2164th, your talking head at the top reminded me of an op/ed I read the other day: Here's an excerpt for ya

    "If Americans want to be mad at someone because Chicago got punted early from the 2016 Olympic Summer Games competition, they should be directing their ire at a worthy recipient: the International Olympic Committee. And they should be demanding answers about the suspect and flawed process it uses to pick Olympic cities.

    Forty-eight hours after the historic decision to bring the Olympics to South America for the first time, the factors behind the hasty departure of the United States from the competition are now becoming a little clearer. Not surprisingly, one reason being cited is an utter failure by the Chicago group to understand and appreciate the sometimes Byzantine politics of the Olympic movement.

    North American entries to host an Olympic Games are almost always disadvantaged when up against other countries that can profit from broader regional voting blocs. In this case, Rio de Janeiro could draw on support from the Caribbean as well as Central and South America. Madrid had Europe, but, perhaps more importantly, the influence of former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch.

    Tokyo was a little different. It realized it didn't have a hope in this competition, but was positioning itself for a run at the 2020 Games. If it was humiliated here by a first-round exit, it likely wouldn't enter the 2020 sweepstakes. Give us enough votes to survive the first round, the Tokyo delegation pleaded with delegates, that's all we want.

    And they got it.

    I know, what a lousy way to pick an Olympic city.

    As has been noted, the United States was also hurt by the running feud between the IOC and the U.S. Olympic Committee. The USOC has ambitions to set up its own television network. The IOC is against it. But the USOC went ahead earlier this year and announced it anyway - igniting fury across the Olympic movement. It later backed off but the damage was done.

    At the end of the day, however, Chicago wasn't winning anyway. Rio had the best bid and gave the IOC and its members the most compelling reason for voting for it: it was their time.

    Still somehow, Chicago got the impression it was a player. One report said the Chicago team figured it had 30 votes locked up for the first round of the voting. It got 18. It gets better. An IOC member told me yesterday that 35 IOC delegates told Chicago officials that they'd voted for their city in the first round.

    Someone isn't telling the truth here.

    And that, to me, is the big issue here - not whether Barack Obama should have gone to Copenhagen for heaven's sake.

    The secret-ballot system the IOC uses to pick Olympic cities is fraught with problems. IOC delegates are lying all over the place. They are paying favours in certain rounds, usually the first. They are forming secret alliances. And until president Jacques Rogge builds some transparency and accountability into the voting system there will be more unexplainable events like Friday that border on being corrupt and are definitely morally bankrupt."

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/if-americans-are-mad-about-chicago-losing-its-2016-olympics-bid-blame-the-ioc/article1311854/

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  60. rufus,

    My point was not to brag. Try to imagine a world without the contributions of those people. That world would be far less hospitable than the one we now enjoy. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that such a world would be uncivilized as we have come to understand that.

    Additionally, I happen to think that Jews have the mission of making the world better, Madoff notwithstanding. This comports with an ancient promise made to Abraham. In short (and with much injury to the premise), Jews act as instruments of the Divine will in order to help make known the Divine will.

    I think you are correct in finding envy the cause of some significant amount of anti-Jewish bigotry.

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  61. POTUS goes on national television to flip a coin on Afghanistan...

    That would be AWESOME.






    My perpetual conga line is still, it goes without saying, available - snaking its way between diminishing (semi)somber, stand-up, here-let-me-give-you-my-card, solve-the-world's-problems conversations and increasingly forlorn ballroom tables.

    If it's always 5 O'Clock somewhere, Jimmy, it's also always 1 AM. And when we're done here, we're not going to breakfast.

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  62. If Americans want to be mad? I don't know of any Americans who are mad at not getting the Olympics. I for one could give a shit. The only ones who may be mad are the panting sniveling ultra left who desperately want something good to happen for Obama, and I am really suprised there hasnt been a chorus of "racism" from them.

    Big Bird, now that was good one, that was a good one...

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  63. See, there you go again, Allen.

    This statement,

    "That world would be far less hospitable than the one we now enjoy."

    is Perfectly Acceptable.

    But, instead of leaving well enough, alone, you continue,

    "Indeed, I would go so far as to say that such a world would be uncivilized as we have come to understand that."

    And, THAT won't cut it. Now you've just irritated the 99.75% of the World that's Not Jewish.

    THAT is Dumb.

    Look Bubba, I'm really Not against you. But, I surely wish there was a "finishing" school, somewhere, we could send you folks to.

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  64. I think that to settle this once and for all the two of you should present your respective SAT scores.

    Then submit to a swimsuit contest.

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  65. desert rat said...
    Man of "desperation" has been telling us that the "big war" is right around the corner, for as long as he's been posting.


    Tell you what rat...

    I keep warning about iran and issues...

    you keep making ad hominem attacks on me...

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  66. This might prove to be of value for dealing with Democrats:

    MAX BROOKS has just published
    "The Zombie Survival Guide - Recorded Attacks"

    Brooks prepares us for future attacks, reminding us that if we don't learn from history, we're bound to repeat it.

    Knowing that successful societies consist of well organized, informed citizens, in future attacks Max recommends we keep our heads while cutting off theirs.

    The Zombie Survival Guide - Recorded Attacks

    From the Stone Age to the information age, the undead have threatened to engulf the human race. They’re coming. They’re hungry.

    Don’t wait for them to come to you!

    This is the graphic novel the fans demanded: major zombie attacks from the dawn of humanity.
    On the African savannas, against the legions of ancient Rome, on the high seas with Francis Drake . . . every civilization has faced them.
    Here are the grisly and heroic stories–complete with eye-popping artwork that pulsates with the hideous faces of the undead.

    Organize before they rise!

    Scripted by the world’s leading zombie authority, Max Brooks, Recorded Attacks reveals how other eras and cultures have dealt with–and survived–the ancient viral plague.
    By immersing ourselves in past horror we may yet prevail over the coming outbreak in our time.

    About the Author
    The New York Times bestselling author of The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z, MAX BROOKS has been called "the Studs Terkel of zombie journalism."

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  67. Rufus thinks a finishing school is needed for the final solution.

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  68. First Lady’s Roots Trace Path From Slavery

    A newly discovered story helps fill in Michelle Obama’s family tree and highlights the racial intermingling in the bloodlines of many African-Americans.
    ---
    Michelle Obama’s Family Tree
    Explore five generations of the first lady’s lineage.
    ---
    Just what we've all been waiting for.

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  69. I wonder if Brooks Book would be of any value against THAT?

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  70. That joke rather made itself, didn't it, Doug?

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  71. Look Bubba, I'm really Not against you. But, I surely wish there was a "finishing" school, somewhere, we could send you folks to.



    they tried that...

    it was called Sobibor, Treblinka, or Auschwitz

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  72. THAT is Dumb.

    Look Bubba, I'm really Not against you. But, I surely wish there was a "finishing" school, somewhere, we could send you folks to
    .

    Risking the appearance of piling on...

    THAT is Dumb.

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  73. Yeah,
    Not even civilized enuff to dig your own grave.
    Piling on, indeed.

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  74. When do we get to discuss the latest rage:
    Rectal IEDs?

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  75. When it hits not only the walls, but the ceiling, floor, bystanders, and all in attendance.

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  76. Al Qaeda Bombers Learn from Drug Smugglers - CBS Evening News ...
    The terrorist had the bomb in his rectum and detonated it across the room from ..... Remind me not have a rectal exam by a Jihadi MD.
    ---
    Video looks suspisciously like Ash.

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  77. Sounds like a swift and sure cure for constipation, no?

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  78. Well, it's been voted on; and, I'm Dum..

    But, if I belonged to a small tribe that, in spite of many positive contributions, kept getting targeted by tyrants, and despots, for extinction I'll be damned if I wouldn't spend a considerable amount of time trying to figure out how to "Win Friends, and Influence People" among those that could/should be my Natural Allies.

    Maybe "finishing school" wasn't such a hot idea (the potential wordplay just occured to me a second ago.)

    I'm just saying that kind of rhetoric is counter-productive. People don't help other people because said other people are "smart." They help them because 1) They like them. 2) Possibly because they admire them, or 3) Because it's profitable to do so.

    Number 3 isn't very operative in this case. Number 2 is, always, pretty weak (only qualifies for a minimum of hassle,) and that leaves No. 1. Time to brush up on the "people skills," folks.

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  79. Explosives experts tell CBS News that beep was likely a text message activating the bomb concealed inside Asieri.

    The Trojan bomber hands the phone to Prince Mohammed. He's standing next to him, and 14 seconds later, he detonates.

    "This is the nightmare scenario," said Chris Yates, an aviation security consultant.
    ---
    Well, yeah.
    Depending on what floats your boat.

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  80. rufus,

    No offense was taken, just as none was intended.

    Everytime I see the numbers I am NOT filled with pride; rather, I am in awe of the Eternal and a revelatory plan set in motion long, long ago.

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  81. Well. There you have it.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtrEN-YKLBM

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  82. But, if I belonged to a small tribe that, in spite of many positive contributions, kept getting targeted by tyrants, and despots, for extinction I'll be damned if I wouldn't spend a considerable amount of time trying to figure out how to "Win Friends, and Influence People" among those that could/should be my Natural Allies.

    But, Rufus...

    We all know that you do. Mr. Dale Carnegie of the Cherokee Nation hisself.

    That's our Rufus.

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  83. Allen said:

    "Everytime I see the numbers I am NOT filled with pride; rather, I am in awe of the Eternal and a revelatory plan set in motion long, long ago."

    Really?

    Perhaps you would be good enough to explain just what is this "Eternal and a revelatory plan set in motion long, long ago"?

    I think I know what you mean but I just want to hear you to say it out loud, so to speak.

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  84. Don't Allen's figures just constitute more proof of the Zionist Conspiracy behind the instituions of power, in this case the internationale prize committees?

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  85. I've got a text to speech program, Viktor, so for me it will be more than a figure of speech.
    So to speak.

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  86. No prob, LT, I handled it the "cool" way. My Great-Great Grandmother married a "White" Man.

    I "Pass" real good.

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  87. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  88. At least she was not raped by a Yankee, then the progeny beaten daily by your great great grand mother's husband, until the kid went off to fight the Huns.

    That's what that civilized folk that were chosen by God do, or so the tale was told.

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  89. It was an awe inspiring story of love and compassion.

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  90. Well, I may not want to delve, too deeply, into what some of my ancestors did (much less what some of "their" assorted tribes did.)

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  91. You'll be impressed, too, 'Rat:
    ...almost rather be hiding in that rainbarrel.

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  92. A mini Dien Bien Phu, with the US commanders as cocky as the French Generals in Saigon.

    Like Khe San, abandoned after the fight.

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  93. Where was the Air Force, while waiting on the Army's go slow Apaches?

    Where were the fast movers?

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  94. In Iraq they used to have orbiting F-16's

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  95. Worse ineptitude than allowing those Taliban to congregate, unmolested, for the funeral of their Commander.

    Little wonder Tillman was disgusted by the goings on, wonder where did his personal journal disappear to?

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  96. Need a 'Chrystal Ball to answer that one.

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  97. There is NO DOUBT that he knew that the awarding of the Silver Star to Spec4 Tillman was fraudulent, no doubt of that at all.

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  98. A US judge has refused to throw out charges against an ex-NASA astronaut who allegedly drove across the country wearing diapers to confront her suspected rival in a love triangle.

    A defence lawyer for Lisa Nowak, 46, called on the Orlando judge to dismiss the charges of attempted kidnapping, burglary and battery arising out of the bizarre 2007 incident.

    ...

    Florida law requires state prosecutors to turn over all documents to the defence as both sides prepare for trial. The process is called discovery.


    Loses Bid

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  99. To Hell with the documents.
    Where'd they keep the diapers?

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  100. In hotels, frightened tourists were herded through the buildings, many climbed onto the roof and waited, looking out to sea for a wave which never came.

    A spokeswoman from the Solomon Star newspaper in the Solomon Islands capital Honiara says people there are still panicking and rushing to higher ground.

    This morning's tsunami warning was issued after a 7.8-magnitude quake hit 373 kilometres from Vanuatu at a depth of 33 kilometres, quickly followed by a second 7.3-magnitude quake.


    Pacific Panic

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  101. Vietnam, all over again.

    Piss.

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