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."

Friday, October 21, 2011

FRIDAY NIGHT: To commemorate Teresita's mastectomy, all drinks are half-off.



One of Teresita's "mosques" was bombed yesterday using surgical strike capabilities developed by Israelis. There were no complications and post-op pain is minimal.

In other news:

Hertz has sent termination letters to 25 drivers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport after they refused to agree to clock out for daily breaks, during which they normally pray. The workers — all Somali Muslims — were among 34 employees suspended Sept. 30 for failing to clock out before breaks.

With the approval of the Obama administration, an electric car company that received a $529 million federal government loan guarantee is assembling its first line of cars in Finland...

AP: Only 37% Back Occupy Wall Street Protests... The Occupy Wall Street loons have apparently grown tired of defecating on NYPD police cars. Now they are defecating on the doorsteps of people’s homes according to the New York post.

The White House on Thursday defended Biden’s rhetoric that more Americans will be raped and killed if Republican lawmakers reject part of President Obama’s jobs bill.

Jon Bon Jovi opens doors to his pay-what-you-can restaurant.

Russia: "Killing Gaddafi is against the Geneva Convention." (I guess the Geneva Convention didn't apply to Russia when they attacked Georgia and Chechnya)

Gallup says only Carter had a lower approval rating than Obama at this point in presidency.

32 comments:

  1. God bless T. Happy healing. You are one tough broad. Prayers to you and yours.

    - Bro D-Day

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  2. I'm glad to hear everything went well. I'll keep you in my thoughts.

    Peace

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  3. :)

    I just caught the "half off."

    Teresita, are we going to miss you for a couple of days once the painkillers wear off?

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  4. Rufus, I've got a little Oxycontin to help, but it's not bad at all.

    I still have to do radiation for about 45 days, and Herceptin chemo until next summer, but I think I got this sucker licked. This was the worst kind of breast cancer to get, by the way.

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  5. Oxy? Hillbilly Heroin? Don' forget now, "you got friends." :)


    Well, I'm sorry, T. That ain't no walk in the park, what you're descibing. But, you'll get through it. It'll feel great once it's over.

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  6. .

    T, I didn't expect to see you back here so soon.

    I'm pleased to here the operation went ok.

    .

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  7. .

    When checking out the polls on the presidential contenders, issues, or movements such as OWs, it's always wise to check out the raw data if it is available to see how the questions were worded and also to verify the responses.

    Questions can be constructed to get the desired answer or interpretation of results can be skewed.

    We had a discussion yesterday about the respected pollster Douglas Schoen and his article in the WSJ about the poll his company did on the OWS crowd.

    After the article came out some have reviewed the actual poll results and have called Shoen to task on his interpretation of the results.

    Misrepresentations?

    .

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  8. .

    I am also pleased to 'hear' the operation went ok.

    .

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  9. .

    On his show, Real Sports, Brian Gumbal says David Stern has “always seemed eager to be viewed as some kind of modern plantation overseer treating NBA men as if they were his boys.”

    It will be interesting to see what happens with Gumbal. We can all recall the numerous occasions when white commentators were sacked for less than this.

    .

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  10. .

    One has to suspect this FOX News "viewers poll' did not come out as expected.

    Fox Viewer Poll Results

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  11. Nice surprise. Good job girl.
    That Fox poll is no surprise to most here, certainly not me.

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  12. Daughter loves to fish. Last weekend she netted (literally, with a butterfly net) over a dozen itty-bitty minnow types and a couple of very small perch - all now residing in the backyard pond with the Comet goldfishes.

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  13. Welcome back T!
    Operations may be bad, worse is when they can't.
    That seems to be what my wife is stuck with.
    Plus, you say you can still eat comfortably w/the Chemo?
    A blessing to be sure!

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  14. I saw a real (non-internet) poll that had 37 percent approval of the scumbags.

    Do any of you people really believe these union sponsered scumbags are comparable to T party folks?

    How many here have ever attended a T-Party?

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  15. About 37 percent of people back the protests that have spread from New York to cities across the country and abroad, one of the first snapshots of how the public views the "Occupy Wall Street" movement. A majority of those protest supporters are Democrats, but the anger about politics in general is much more widespread, the poll indicates.

    "They’ve got reasons to be upset, they’ve got reasons to protest, but they’re protesting against the wrong people," Jan Jarrell, 54, a retired school custodian from Leesville, S.C., says of the New York demonstrators. "They need to go to Washington, to Congress and the White House. They’re the ones coming up with all the rules."

    "Occupy Wall Street" has been called the liberal counterpoint to conservative-libertarian tea party, which injected a huge dose of enthusiasm into the Republican Party and helped it win the House and make gains in the Senate last fall.

    While the troubled economy is at the root of anger at both government and business leaders, there’s a key difference. Tea party activists generally argue that government is the problem, and they advocate for free markets. The Wall Street protesters generally say that government can provide some solutions and the free market has run amok.

    Of the Americans who support the Wall Street protests, 64 percent in the poll are Democrats, while 22 percent are independents and just 14 percent are Republicans. The protest backers are more likely to approve of President Barack Obama and more likely to disapprove of Congress than are people who don’t support the demonstrations.

    More generally, many more Americans — 58 percent — say they are furious about the country’s politics than did in January, when 49 percent said they felt that way. What’s more, nearly nine in 10 say they are frustrated with politics and nearly the same say they are disappointed, findings that suggest people are deeply resentful of the political bickering over such basic government responsibilities as passing a federal budget and raising the nation’s debt limit.

    http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/52761594-68/percent-street-wall-poll.html.csp

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  16. Poor Carpet Sanitation los angeles...

    EPA has declared his backyard a wetland, and is off limits for human habitation.

    Good thing the daughter did not bring home a Smelt:

    He'd be doin time.

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  17. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  18. STUDY: USA not in top 10 for starting a business...

    1. New Zealand

    Rank last year: 1
    Days to start a business: 1
    Access to credit ranking: 4
    Over-all ease of doing business rank: 3

    According to the study, the "one-stop" shop approach, where most of the government agencies that a start-up needs are linked online, keeps the country on top.



    8. Rwanda

    Rank last year: 9
    Days to start a business: 3
    Access to credit ranking: 8
    Over-all ease-of-doing-business rank: 45

    The World Bank study points out that Sub-Saharan Africa has been making massive efforts to reform economic hurdles for businesses, and Rwanda ranking within the top 10 for starting a business is proof. The country has recently instituted some electronic processes for starting a business, boosting entrepreneurship.

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  19. .

    Once again, those who berate the OWS as a bunch of flea bag commies miss the point.

    It is true that until they get a firm agenda they are more circus than political movement. Also, they may just fade away with the winter winds. However, they symbolize the discontent currently widespread throughout the country.

    I would offer that their complaints go far beyond their name. The name, OWS, offers a simplistic retort for those who dismiss the movement out of site and call them 'flea baggers' and communists much as most of the 'commentariat' of the left was willing to jump in and call the Tea Party 'tea baggers' and rascists.

    Simplistic but expected.

    To me, it is interesting to look at the responses in the link "Misrepresentation" above on the questions that led pollster Douglas Shoen to declare the 'entire' movemnt as a bunch of left wing radicals.

    From the answers to question 17, its evident they are a left leaning group. However, it's also evident the majority is looking to work within the system to push their agenda.

    On question 16, an open ended question about what frustrates you most about the political situation here in the US, I would think most here would agree with the majority of the OWS responses.

    Until they get a set agenda it is a mistake to look at OWS as anything more than a symbol of the unrest in the US. And maybe it will take visible protests like OWS to shake up the dicks in OZ.

    Those who use the 37% approval rating in the AP poll ignore the fact a full 58% of the respondants were "furious" at the political process in this country. Other polls show the discontent much higher.

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  20. .

    Do any of you people really believe these union sponsered scumbags are comparable to T party folks?

    Two sides of the same coin.

    From Tea Party Nation,

    I, an American small business owner, part of the class that produces the vast majority of real, wealth producing jobs in this country, hereby resolve that I will not hire a single person until this war against business and my country is stopped.

    I hereby declare that my job creation potential is now ceased.

    “I’m on strike!”


    A call for small businesses to stop hiring? Yea, that should help.

    And Atlas Shrugged Again.

    OWS demands new jobs, TPN proposes not creating any.

    Funny stuff.

    .

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  21. One quote from one person characterises a nationwide movement?

    Rufus did not give a real response to this simple offer, will you?

    You clean up after an ows affair, I'll clean up after a Tea Party, then we'll talk.

    Have you ever heard, seen, or been around "professional protesters?"

    I have.

    The definition of Astroturf.

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  22. I'd wager not a single person across the entire nation attending a tea party ever defecated on a police car.

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  23. .

    One quote from one person characterises a nationwide movement?

    With regard to this comment, the quote I posted was not a quote from one person but the action requested as part of the resolution put up by the Tea Party Nation website. Perhaps you missed that.

    With regard to the sentiment behind your statement, there is this,

    I'd wager not a single person across the entire nation attending a tea party ever defecated on a police car.

    You never disappoint Doug.

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  24. .

    The definition of Astroturf.

    The same thing Pelosi said about the Tea Party.

    As I said two sides of the same coin.

    You still fail to see that.

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  25. .

    You clean up after an ows affair, I'll clean up after a Tea Party, then we'll talk.

    You continue to confuse the hundreds camping out with the thousands attending the rallies around the world.

    The movement has potential. Whether that potential will be recognized, hard to say.

    The Tea party started out in the same way. it started out small with little focus other than a general dissatisfaction with the direction the country was moving. It was angry at a lot of the same things OWS is angry about. However, it only became a significant movement when it formed a narrower focus. The key parts of their focused agenda being the size of government and the debt.

    OWS will be a transitory phenomenom like the WHO, IMF, and G8 protests unless they can come up with a narrower, clearly defined focus.

    Till then, small minds who cannot see the potential will prance about dismissing the entire movement because of one nitwit who shit on a police car.

    You never disappoint my little snarky friend.

    :)

    .

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  26. Whatever happens Worldwide, is what happens.

    In this country, the SIGNIFICANT difference that you avoid recognizing, is that the T-Party for the most part is composed of responsible citizens, whereas the wos is largely composed of scumbags, to include paid professional scumbags, courtesy of the Unions.

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  27. .

    In this country, the SIGNIFICANT difference that you avoid recognizing, is that the T-Party for the most part is composed of responsible citizens, whereas the wos is largely composed of scumbags, to include paid professional scumbags, courtesy of the Unions.

    And you bemoan the MSM while being sucked in by your right wing sources. You look only at the people camping out in the parks and ignore the many more people who take part in the protest marches, the majority of which have jobs right now. (That is if one can believe some of the polls and, oh yea, the MSM.)

    You have a narrow vision and focus Doug. You miss the big picture. Remember, the truth will set you free.

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  28. .

    By the way, I was sorry to hear your wife isn't doing so well.

    You've only mentioned how she is doing infrequently so I haven't said anything, but I hope everything works out well for you guys.

    .

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