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."

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

We're Number One!






Fitch reaffirms top U.S. credit rating



 @CNNMoney August 16, 2011: 10:20 AM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Fitch Ratings on Tuesday reaffirmed the United States' AAA credit rating.
The move comes less than two weeks after Standard & Poor's downgraded the United States' long-term debt to AA+. "The key pillars of US's exceptional creditworthiness remains intact: its pivotal role in the global financial system and the flexible, diversified and wealthy economy that provides its revenue base. Monetary and exchange rate flexibility further enhances the capacity of the economy to absorb and adjust to 'shocks,' " Fitch said in a statement.

Fitch did add a caveat, however. It would likely revise its outlook on the U.S. rating to negative from stable if the congressional committee charged with proposing at least $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction fails to reach agreement, or if the economic recovery proves weaker than expected. That means there would be a greater than 50% chance that Fitch would downgrade the country within two years.

82 comments:

  1. Good news Rufas:

    Obama administration to invest $510M in biofuels industry to power ships, jets
    By Andrew Restuccia - 08/16/11 11:56 AM ET

    The Obama administration will invest as much as $510 million over the next three years in advanced biofuels to power military and commercial ships and jets.

    The effort is part of a push by the Obama administration to wean the country off its dependence on foreign oil and boost the domestic biofuels industry, a key sector in farm states that will play a major role in the 2012 elections.



    The Energy Department, Agriculture Department and Navy signed an agreement Tuesday to retrofit or build biofuels plants across the United States that can supply advanced biofuels for the military as well as the commercial transportation sector.

    Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said Tuesday that the plan will improve national security by making the country’s military less dependant on oil from volatile nations.

    “Having energy independence for the United States is one of the most important things we can do from a military standpoint,” Mabus told reporters on a conference call.

    The new Obama administration initiative comes at a time of uncertainty for the biofuels industry.

    A tax credit that benefits traditional corn ethanol producers is slated to expire at year’s end, and a bipartisan Senate deal to pair its demise with an extension of other incentives is in political limbo.

    At the same time, efforts to produce commercial quantities of next-wave biofuels, including cellulosic ethanol, have not taken flight as fast as advocates had hoped.

    The plan will help the Navy meet its goal of cutting its dependence on fossil fuels in half by 2020. It will also contribute to President Obama’s goal of cutting foreign oil imports by one-third by 2025.

    “We are well down the road to making sure that we are going to meet this goal,” Mabus said. “Tactically and strategically, it will make us better fighters.”

    The Obama administration said Tuesday’s agreement will jumpstart the country’s biofuels industry, creating new jobs in farm states.

    “By building a national biofuels industry, we are creating construction jobs, refinery jobs and economic opportunity in rural communities throughout the country,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said.

    Under the agreement, the DOE, USDA and the Navy will each contribute $170 million to the program. Much of the money, Mabus said, will come from existing “repurposed” funds. Industry will be required to match the money invested by the federal government.

    http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/177041-biofuel-grafs

    ReplyDelete
  2. Obama is showing his true colors. He continues to blame everyone else for the disastrous state of the country. Yes, we cannot blame it entirely on him, but, after 2 1/2 years of being the chief, (the buck stops here) he accuses the Tea Party, Republicans, Europe, and he is now running of options as to who he will blame next. Time for Obama to be practical. Stay in your office, all your efforts should center on bringing new ideas and drop your lavish vacations and flamboyant trips for your family at taxpayers expense. But, I guess, that is too much to ask. After all, Obama is merely a politician who likes to pass the buck when the going gets rough and get the credit for whatever good comes out, even if he has nothing to do with it. Right now all he cares is to be reelected, thus we see him running all over the country giving empty pep talks. Pls Obama, spare us,,,, we dont need another four years of your inept policies.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Obama is showing his true colors. He continues to blame everyone else for the disastrous state of the country. Yes, we cannot blame it entirely on him, but, after 2 1/2 years of being the chief, (the buck stops here) he accuses the Tea Party, Republicans, Europe, and he is now running of options as to who he will blame next. Time for Obama to be practical. Stay in your office, all your efforts should center on bringing new ideas and drop your lavish vacations and flamboyant trips for your family at taxpayers expense. But, I guess, that is too much to ask. After all, Obama is merely a politician who likes to pass the buck when the going gets rough and get the credit for whatever good comes out, even if he has nothing to do with it. Right now all he cares is to be reelected, thus we see him running all over the country giving empty pep talks. Pls Obama, spare us,,,, we dont need another four years of your inept policies.

    ReplyDelete
  4. ditto

    Obama is showing his true colors. He continues to blame everyone else for the disastrous state of the country. Yes, we cannot blame it entirely on him, but, after 2 1/2 years of being the chief, (the buck stops here) he accuses the Tea Party, Republicans, Europe, and he is now running of options as to who he will blame next. Time for Obama to be practical. Stay in your office, all your efforts should center on bringing new ideas and drop your lavish vacations and flamboyant trips for your family at taxpayers expense. But, I guess, that is too much to ask. After all, Obama is merely a politician who likes to pass the buck when the going gets rough and get the credit for whatever good comes out, even if he has nothing to do with it. Right now all he cares is to be reelected, thus we see him running all over the country giving empty pep talks. Pls Obama, spare us,,,, we dont need another four years of your inept policies.

    b

    ReplyDelete
  5. Never heard of Fitch Ratings.

    Wonder how much they were paid by the Democratic National Committee.

    b

    ReplyDelete
  6. Filtch Ratings.

    Like my appraiser.

    For a fee, you get whatever value you want.

    b

    ReplyDelete
  7. Luck Duck Sucks.

    Barry should hire Rufus to sell the nation on the notion that it's ALL due to the price of gas and lack of sufficient SUBSIDIES for non-viable bio-fuel schemes.

    Nation would be convinced that Barry had discovered, nay, HIRED, a perpetual motion miracle from Mississippi.

    ReplyDelete
  8. TexasTaxes

    After LBJ, Bush I, and II, and now this flim flam artiste, I conclude Texans have no shame!

    ReplyDelete
  9. .

    TexasTaxes


    From the list of Texas Taxes,

    Fee on Sexually Oriented Businesses

    A fee is imposed on sexually oriented businesses that provide live nude entertainment or live nude performances and authorize on-premises consumption of alcoholic beverages, regardless of whether the business is required to hold a license or permit under the Alcoholic Beverages Code.

    Rate Details and Other Information
    Rates:

    $5 for each entry by each customer admitted to the business.




    I say it's down right un-American. Strike 2 on Perry.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  10. Bet they don't have no tax like that in Detroit.

    b

    ReplyDelete
  11. This one's not bad either --

    Automobile Burglary and Theft Prevention Authority (ABTPA) Assessment

    Now, that might make some sense in Detroit.

    b

    ReplyDelete
  12. GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney yesterday took a first swipe at new rival Rick Perry, suggesting he doesn't have the necessary experience in the "real economy."

    ...

    Perry, campaigning in Iowa, shot back, "Take a look at his record when he was governor. Take a look at my record."

    "I think Texas is the real economy."

    ReplyDelete
  13. Mohammed Bouazizi, a Tunisian street vendor, set himself on fire in a show of public protest. The self-immolation triggered unrest in Tunisia and ultimately the resignation of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

    ...

    There were three principles shaping the Western narrative on the Arab Spring. The first was that these regimes were overwhelmingly unpopular. The second was that the opposition represented the overwhelming will of the people. The third was that once the unrest began it was unstoppable.

    ...

    Since late 2010, we have seen three kinds of uprisings in the Arab world. The first are those that merely brushed by the regime. The second are those that created a change in leaders but not in the way the country was run. The third are those that turned into civil wars, such as Libya and Yemen.


    Arab Spring

    ReplyDelete
  14. “I don’t think the federal government has a role in your children’s education,” Perry said, adding, “The federal government has no business telling you how to educate your children. They have intruded into so many different areas in our lives and that’s one of the things that I hope to be able to do, working with Congress, trying to make Washington, as I said, as inconsequential in your lives as we can.”

    In Cedar Rapids, Perry was introduced by his wife, Anita. She said a woman at the state fair asked her whether her husband would be as good a president as Bush.

    “I said, ‘Well, Ma’am, he would be better,” Anita Perry said. “He’s my husband.”

    ReplyDelete
  15. The rebs seem to be doing better in Libya than anticipated. Some higher ups in Qadafi's group have taken a vacation in Egypt with their wives and children, and the rebs are almost able to cut off supplies to Tripoli (does this mean three cities in Italian or something?) threatening to starve 'em out.

    Dang!

    I wanted a long lasting stalemate. I still don't see how a minority can keep down the majority there however. Even with NATO support.

    So maybe I'll still get my wish of a divided Libya.

    b

    ReplyDelete
  16. This is a fun quiz. Listed below are 10 direct quotes. You have to guess which American

    politician said it. Your four choices are:

    Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin
    Former VP Dan Quayle
    President Barack Obama
    Former President George W. Bush

    Ready? Here we go!

    1) "Let me be absolutely clear. Israel is a strong friend of Israel’s."
    A. Barack Obama
    B. Dan Quayle
    C. Sarah Palin
    D. George W. Bush

    2) "I've now been in 57 states I think one left to go."
    A. Barack Obama
    B. Dan Quayle
    C. Sarah Palin
    D. George W. Bush

    3) "On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes,

    and I see many of them in the audience here today."
    A. Barack Obama
    B. Dan Quayle
    C. Sarah Palin
    D. George W. Bush

    4) "What they'll say is, 'Well it costs too much money,' but you know what? It would cost,

    about. It it it would cost about the same as what we would spend. It. Over the course of 10

    years it would cost what it would costs us. (nervous laugh) All right. Okay. We're going to.

    It. It would cost us about the same as it would cost for about hold on one second. I can't

    hear myself. But I'm glad you're fired up, though. I'm glad."
    A. Barack Obama
    B. Dan Quayle
    C. Sarah Palin
    D. George W. Bush

    5) "The reforms we seek would bring greater competition, choice, savings and

    inefficiencies to our health care system."
    A. Barack Obama
    B. Dan Quayle
    C. Sarah Palin
    D. George W. Bush

    6) "I bowled a 129. It's like - it was like the Special Olympics, or something."
    A. Barack Obama
    B. Dan Quayle
    C. Sarah Palin
    D. George W. Bush

    7) "Of the many responsibilities granted to a president by our Constitution, few are

    more serious or more consequential than selecting a Supreme Court justice. The members

    of our highest court are granted life tenure, often serving long after the presidents who

    appointed them. And they are charged with the vital task of applying principles put to paper

    more than 20 centuries ago to some of the most difficult questions of our time."
    A. Barack Obama
    B. Dan Quayle
    C. Sarah Palin
    D. George W. Bush

    8) "Everybody knows that it makes no sense that you send a kid to the emergency

    room for a treatable illness like asthma, they end up taking up a hospital bed, it costs,

    when, if you, they just gave, you gave them treatment early and they got some treatment,

    and a, a breathalyzer, or inhalator, not a breathalyzer. I haven't had much sleep in the last

    48 hours."
    A. Barack Obama
    B. Dan Quayle
    C. Sarah Palin
    D. George W. Bush

    9) "It was interesting to see that political interaction in Europe is not that different from

    the United States Senate. There's a lot of I don’t know what the term is in Austrian, wheeling

    and dealing."
    A. Barack Obama
    B. Dan Quayle
    C. Sarah Palin
    D. George W. Bush

    10) "I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future."
    A. Barack Obama
    B. Dan Quayle
    C. Sarah Palin
    D. George W. Bush

    Sorry. This was a trick quiz. All of the correct answers are the same person. Each of

    these quotes are directly from President Barack Obama. And now you know why he

    brings his teleprompter with him everywhere he goes ...even when talking to a 6th grade

    class. And some members of the media continue to insist he is "The smartest man ever

    elected to the Presidency."



    Right.

    Just think how the press would have used these stupid statements against Bush, Quayle or Palin while they hide just how stupid Obama actually is without his teleprompter.

    ReplyDelete
  17. That’s a preview of the likely line of attack Democrats would adopt if Perry wound up as the Republican nominee — subtly (and not so subtly) reminding independent voters of what happened the last time a swashbuckling-styled Texas governor became president.

    Therein lies the danger in Perry’s approach to the race. Yes, his willingness to take stands — verbal and otherwise — and stick to them will win him the adulation of the voters who will have an outsized say in determining the identity of the Republican nominee in 2012.

    But that same approach could alienate him from independent voters , the same voters that President Obama has been assiduously courting for months.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Re: Arab Spring

    All three permutations involve to some degree the loss of life at the hands of the regime. For instance, Syria used naval and tank bombardment, just yesterday. Israel ... Hmm ... not so much, to DR's chagrin :-) That whole Abrahamic thing is starting to look a little iffy :-D)))) Or, as bob might put it, there could have been a “xxxxxxr” in the woodshed.

    Israel 13
    Nutters 0

    bob, cat got your tongue :-) Doubtless propriety is not the cause of your reticence. Really, "Anonymous bob", I expect nothing from you ... Let the profanity commence.

    ReplyDelete
  19. You are crazy, Allen.


    “All the odds are on the man who is, intrinsically, the most devious and mediocre — the man who can most easily (and) adeptly disperse the notion that his mind is a virtual vacuum. The presidency tends, year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day, the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”

    HL Mencken :)

    Always liked that quote. The left used it against Bush, most of us think to use it against O.

    But Mencken was right, liberty and democracy are two different things.

    b

    ReplyDelete
  20. Let the profanity commence.

    heh, it probably will when WiO drops by, not that it bothers me any, but, O, your o so pure so pure fastidious screwed up self.......how can you stand to be around a guy and associate with a guy that was proud of, and nearly demanded to be awarded a prize for the invention of the term
    FUCKTARDS!!!

    I love that term, and I do think WiO deserves a medal or something.

    b

    ReplyDelete
  21. “U.S. banks still have some troubling legacy assets on their balance sheets but for the most part they are in much healthier shape then [sic] back in 2008, says John Garvey head of U.S. banks and capital markets at PricewaterhouseCoopers."

    I dare say, this gentleman holds an MBA. Let’s hope that someone clues him into the use of “than” and “then” – an MBA is a terrible thing to waste.

    Without question banks are doing just fine … if one ignores the shadow inventory of nearly 6.5 million homes in arrears or REO.

    Why Banks Aren’t Lending: Weak Economy, Regulatory Uncertainty

    ReplyDelete
  22. "Anonymous bob"

    I am not WiO.

    As to insanity, what can I say, you having said it all :-)

    You are no gentleman. One can only hope a black woman knocks you into Thursday.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I am not WiO.

    And that's for damned certain.

    He's likable.

    Why not knock it off now Allen nobody wants to read it.


    xxxxxxx

    On an important subject, I don't see how that eagle kills the wolf.

    The talons couldn't be doing it, strong as they are, a wolf's hide must be pretty tough; he could rip him up a bit, and get ripped in return.

    Maybe that extra strong beak is ripping into a jugular vein?

    The videos don't really show how the kill takes place, and seem to be doctored up a bit.

    I had no idea an eagle could be trained to go after a wolf. Thought it was impressive.

    g'nite

    b

    ReplyDelete
  24. "Anonymous bob"

    "Why not knock it off now Allen nobody wants to read it."

    bob ... ... Think about that for a moment ... A little iffy, heh ...

    When you were not getting sufficient attention, you savaged a poor woman, who had, so far a I can tell, done nothing to you to deserve your profane abuse. Well, that is not entirely correct: She would not go along with your love from afar, over the rainbow, and through the ether routine.

    Latter, out of the blue, searching for attention again, you repeatedly called Doug a "nxxxxr".

    It must be lonely not having Whit to censure for you.

    Why not give us a poem?

    Toodles

    ReplyDelete
  25. Allen dear I never called Doug a nigger. I used the word twice, and I'm sorry for it, it was in the context of inner city violence and such.

    Talking about blacks, both my wife and my lawyer thought I should kick all seven of them out of a duplex I have, these football players, who my wife used to call 'my boys' who trashed the place, even the neighbors were complaining. I stood up for them, taking a lot of heat from my wife, who is death on drugs. One of them was smoking dope even when my lawyer, Methodist wife and daughter did an inspection tour. She had offered at one time to be the cleaning lady for them for an hourly wage but it never came to pass, and I went through the Athletic Department U of I to see about some financial help, and a little control over the situation.

    They had one ripping party after last season ending game, tore the place up, police were called, and one guy ended up in the emergency room. And the holes in the walls, three, still haven't been repaired, as they promised.

    The athletic department helped them out a bit financially, put them all on a drug testing program - "we don't want drug users in our program" - and they are all still in the program and playing football, which is what they came here for. A couple of them have really bright prospects in the business world after they get out.

    I like most of them, they just have some habits, like paying for a 45k suv before the rent, that sort of thing. Most of them have great cars. Better than ours.

    Drop it now Allen, you're not worth talking to anymore.



    b

    ReplyDelete
  26. A new study of thousands of chubby Americans has found that they live just as long as slim folks -- and are less likely to die of heart problems.

    ...

    "Our findings challenge the idea that all obese individuals need to lose weight," said the study's lead author, Dr. Jennifer Kuk.

    "Moreover, it's possible that trying -- and failing -- to lose weight may be more detrimental than simply staying at an elevated body weight and engaging in a healthy lifestyle that includes physical activity and a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables."

    ReplyDelete
  27. CNN cannot independently verify opposition or government claims because Syria has restricted international journalists from reporting inside the country.

    Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad criticized the "imperialist aggression" in Syria and Libya and vowed to redouble efforts to restore peace there, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

    The website posting came a day after Chavez spoke by telephone with his Iranian counterpart and came the same day that gunfire and shelling rang out across Syria's coastal city of Latakia Tuesday amid reports of Palestinian refugees fleeing a restive and impoverished enclave there.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Meanwhile, rebels denied suggestions they had held talks in Tunisia with representatives of the Gaddafi regime.

    On Monday, sources close to the Tunisian security services reported talks had taken place on the island of Djerba, near the Libyan border.

    'There are no negotiations or talks between the Gaddafi regime and the NTC in Tunisia or anywhere else,' NTC Vice Chairman Abdel Hafiz Ghoga said.

    ReplyDelete
  29. For Assad to enact the reforms he has been promising since he came to power, he would have to purge his strongest allies and end the control of the security apparatus over the state. Since they are the pillars of his power, that is unlikely.

    In Tartous, a small city south of Latakia with many Alawites, thousands marched on Monday to "affirm national unity and support for the comprehensive reform programme led by President Bashar al-Assad," SANA news agency said. Authorities have previously organised such pro-Assad rallies.

    The Syrian Revolution Coordinating Union said troops also assaulted villages on the Houla plain north of Homs on Monday, killing eight people as they raided houses and made arrests. The organisation said four people were also killed in Homs.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Why the Hell were you calling me a "xxxxxr" ???

    ReplyDelete
  31. The President of the United States will go down in history as having done a miraculous job in keeping us from being plunged into a total depression. Bush policies of giving tax breaks to the richest and subsidizing huge corporations and deregulating banks and getting us into wars with whole countries threw us into this mess. The 9 percent unemployment rate will never change, until we have better education in the US. It is amazing it is that low considering how many Republican Governors are slashing education in order to dumb down the public and increase their constituencies' numbers.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Shut up Warren, Shut the fuck up!!!
    Warren Buffett is doctrinaire Leftist who favors extension and expansion of the estate tax.

    His company, Bershire Hathaway, sells life insurance which small business owners must purchase to avoid confiscation of their life's work at their death to pay the estate tax.

    And if the small businessmen don't buy his life insurance, Berkshire gets to buy their businesses at fire-sale prices after their death.

    Buffett, like more Leftists, is a nasty, evil person.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Yeah, the incestuous relationship between the GOP, NEA, and Teachers has produced a half century of continual decline in educational outcomes.
    Damn them all!

    ReplyDelete
  34. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  35. .

    Why the Hell were you calling me a "xxxxxr" ???


    Ease up Dougo.

    I'm always calling you xxxxxr too.

    You know, as in, "Hey, back off and give Doug a little slack. He's cool. His thinking may be a little goofy at times, but he is my xxxxxr. He and I go way back and he let's me flop at his pad when I'm in Maui.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  36. The "Next Big Thing" will be a car that is "optimized" for (or runs exclusively on) Ethanol, gets 40 mpg (on ethanol,) and costs less than $15,999.00.

    ReplyDelete
  37. :)

    For some reason I was thinking about these flash mobs last night.

    What's the shop owner's rights here?

    Can he blow them away?

    Probably not, in Idaho, anyway, you got to fear for your life, and none of these yobs seems threatening individually, rather the tone seems to be one of merriment. And, they individually are not committing a felony, at least here, where the line is $250 worth of stuff. You can't shoot someone over stealing a six pack of beer, not here anyway.

    But, it might be more complicated. They have planned the event via the miracle of our electronic communications systems, that makes them all conspirators, each responsible for the whole deal, and surely they in toto are committing a felony.

    Further, the shop owner might legitimately feel fear for his life.

    Gets complicated, no?

    Just a meandering mind.

    What would a jury do? Because sooner or later somebody is going to open up on the yobs.

    b

    ReplyDelete
  38. More importantly, what would a judge instruct them to do?

    If we followed Ron Paul's advice and had jury nullification, well......there's be as much chaos as a flash mob.

    What would a wise Latina on the Supreme Court think about all this?

    Probably much differently than Scalia.

    b

    ReplyDelete
  39. he let's me flop at his pad when I'm in Maui.

    Lava tube. Doug admitted once he lived in a lava tube, or ???? maybe it was he would live in a lava tube when the bad times hit. Nice and cool, anyway.

    Saw a bumper sticker on a pickup truck yesterday.

    I have CRS.

    Then in small letters (can't remember shit)

    I thought that nearly as good as "The voices, the voices, they told me this morning to look to my guns"
    again in a pickup truck, with a gun rack in the window.

    b

    ReplyDelete
  40. Yob Mobs

    Countryman Today 07:01 AM
    Spontaneous mobs do not exist in the real world; that is, it's mathematically improbable that a hundred people would independently and simultaneously decide to form a mob. It always must start with one person tweeting another, then the ball rolls from there. So the question is, just who are the primary agitators of these flash mobs? Of course, Reichsfuhrer Erik Holder would never put the vast resources of the FBI to investigating who sent the first tweet, so we'll never know, but I would bet that there are certain professional agitators (community organizers) in left-wing groups who are responsible for many of these mobs - ACORN, Code Pink, Nation of Islam, Black Panthers? Who knows?


    Well, maybe, but that sounds a little farfetched. But, then, maybe not. If it is not farfetched, then you have a real conspiracy of the first order.

    b

    ReplyDelete
  41. “Israel is taking its war against Prime Minister Netanyahu’s political opponents global, using diplomats in Washington, London and elsewhere to track and intimidate expatriates who speak out against the Jerusalem regime...

    Israeli embassy staffers are tracking and photographing antiregime protesters and sending reports back home...

    A half-dozen Israeli-Americans interviewed by The Wall Street Journal in recent weeks say that as a result of their activities in the U.S., family members have been interrogated, threatened or arrested in Israel. ..”

    Link

    Meanwhile, President Obama has authorized the release of aid to Hamas through USAID.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Interesting post Allen, bad link.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Deuce,

    ... not the same link but close enough

    Link

    ReplyDelete
  44. With a blizzard of invective constituting hundreds (thousands?) of posts, which have defaced and defamed this site on a day-to-day basis for years, a certain someone has claimed Israel wantonly killed some variable number of innocent Gazans in Operation Cast Lead. Hamas says, "Israeli forces killed more than 1,300 Palestinians, many of them women and children..." Given the Obama administration and Hamas, I would not take any number to the bank; but, then, I’m not very nice.

    Today it is reported in the link above that Syria has murdered over 1800 of its own protesting (?) citizens. The silence of the man is deafening. His hypocrisy speaks volumes, however. To be completely fair, given the Obama administration and the UN, I would not take that number to the bank either.

    ReplyDelete
  45. It should go without saying that I am truly sorry if any of the above has insulted anyone.

    In politics the middle way is none at all.
    ___John Adams

    ReplyDelete
  46. In politics the middle way is none at all.
    ___John Adams


    That's pretty damned dumb, just to be honest about it. Would only lead to continual internecine warfare.

    And I'm surprised that a thoughtful man like John Adams said it. Abigail is one of my wife's heroines.

    Stable time.

    b

    ReplyDelete
  47. No middle way, must have it all right now, or none at all.

    That's the politics of a Romeo, or an Ahab.

    Romeo could have had it all, but o no, he had the brilliant idea that in politics 'the middle way is no way at all.' And he wanted it all right now.

    And he was in a political situation.

    The Jews were idiots to fight the Romans. Look what it lead to. Caiaphas can be seen to have been right from that point of view. No middle way.

    b

    ReplyDelete
  48. bob,

    The Jews were idiots to fight the Romans.

    As an authority on the matter, please tell me how many Roman legions did the Jews annihilate each in the First and the Second Jewish-Roman wars?

    ReplyDelete
  49. What's your opinion of Roman Meal Bread, annonymous Great One?

    ReplyDelete
  50. I had a horse with a Roman nose once. Or was that a roaming nose? Or maybe he had roaming eyes. He was a stud, after all.

    ReplyDelete
  51. He was a lover, not a fighter.

    ReplyDelete
  52. .

    Too Many Vehicles to Count in Our First Green President's Misery Tour




    Unbelievable Dougo.

    The amount of security and the length of the procession gives the impression of medeival royalty travelling out to visits the subjects.

    I assume the red bus must be carrying his teleprompters.


    .

    ReplyDelete
  53. .

    Of course, it's still probably cheaper than having him take Air Force One.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  54. David Letterman has become terror target No. 1.

    The new threat comes from a frequent poster on Islamic jihadist forums, Umar al Basrawi, who implored American Muslims to "cut the tongue of this lowly Jew and shut it forever," according to the Middle East Media Research Institute, a non-profit that monitors online jihadists.

    ...

    There have been more than 1,200 posts and replies by al-Basrawi on the jihadi-themed Shumoukh online forum, according to MEMRI.

    ReplyDelete
  55. .

    Someone asked where Rufus has been for the past couple days.

    Heck, he's been out 'noodling'.


    Noodling-Hillbilly Handfishing

    .

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  56. I admit I'm apathetic and ignorant as to how many Legions the Jews 'wiped out'. I just don't care, and don't know.

    And, I imagine, the sources for such info aren't exactly neutral and to be trusted.

    The important answer is - not nearly enough, as they spent the next 2,000 years of high quality time among their new neighbors the Germans, the Poles, the Russians .....

    It's what you can get when you take the middle way out of politics.

    Was my point. Other examples abound.

    And one of the two brothers that was contesting the Jewish crown in the first place invited the Romans in to help his side out. And that, as they say, was that.

    My daughter doesn't have a Roman horse, nor a roamin' horse, nor even a roan horse, but an Appaloosa horse bred up by the Nimiipuu - the Nez Perce people, call ourselves Nimi'ipuu, which means the "real people" or "we the people" - (and they weren't the only ones thought of themselves as favored by the Great Spirit) -- nearly all white that has lost most of its spots. She certainly takes good care of that horse and the stall of the horse is neater than her apartment.

    b

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  57. Perry’s stump speech includes a line that, as president, he will try to make Washington “as inconsequential in your lives as possible.” He so strongly believes that states can run almost everything better than Washington that he told a group of business leaders in Dubuque on Tuesday that one possible solution to the Social Security solvency problem would be to allow states to set up retirement programs.

    “Are there ways the states could take over those programs and run them more efficiently than the federal government?” he asked. He was quick to add, “I’m not necessarily advocating” such a change, but he argued that as part of the consideration of how to fix federal entitlement programs, such ideas ought to be on the table.

    That may be less government than even some independents unhappy with Obama are prepared to consider. That will be Perry’s challenge: to calibrate his message and conduct his campaign in a way that resonates with his base without turning off the other voters he would need in November 2012.

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  58. Fishing?

    I got to go get a flapper for the toilet for Ferren the Felon. And I thought we'd hired him to do this sort of shit.

    b

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  59. A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Nigerian student accused of attempting to blow up an-Amsterdam-to-Detroit flight with a bomb concealed in his underwear is competent to stand trial, the Detroit Free Press reported.

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  60. Larkin Rutledge, 63, of Guttenberg sat at the counter at Rausch’s Cafe but made clear that his vote will go to someone else.

    “I respect his office. I respect him as a person,” Rutledge said of Obama.

    ...

    In fact, Rutledge was in Waterloo with Bachmann and her family when she made her campaign announcement.

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  61. Perry’s stump speech includes a line that, as president, he will try to make Washington “as inconsequential in your lives as possible.”

    READ MY LIPS. NO NEW TEXANS.

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  62. As an authority on the matter, please tell me how many Roman legions did the Jews annihilate each in the First and the Second Jewish-Roman wars?

    Rome lost about a third of a legion and one flag in the first war. Two legions in the Bar Kokhba one. Not a bad showing, but this time the scattering lasted for two thousand years.

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  63. There you go, two (2) and one/third (1/3) legions and one (1) flag.

    Miss T the answer Lady.
    b

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  64. Instead of using his road trip to lay out a specific jobs program, Obama is taking the easy way out and simply blaming the GOP for the political paralysis. Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky has an emergency jobs bill pending which would immediately create millions of jobs in public works, education, law enforcement, construction and repairs to crumbling infrastructure. Obama was in her neighborhood, so why didn't he invite her to at least one his campaign events? He should be shouting this legislation to the rooftops. And if the Republicans block it, as they will surely try to do, at least he will have shown whose side he's on.


    Instead, he is touting a patent bill which would make it harder for impecunious inventors to file the paperwork to safeguard their ideas from predatory corporations top-heavy with legal eagles. Instead, he is suggesting a Trade Trifecta with Columbia, Panama and South Korea that would have the net effect of offshoring even more American jobs and making it easier for businesses to hoard money in tax havens, as well as contributing to the abuse of wage slaves abroad.


    About the only hopeful note I have heard from him is a willingness to extend unemployment benefits for 99ers, as well as give tax breaks to businesses that hire. But what will be the cost of this legislation? Cuts to Medicare? Secretive changes to the CPI that will decrease Social Security benefits over time? All we heard was "see you in September."


    It was nice to hear the president raising his voice, but the mere exercise of his vocal chords will not solve 20 percent real unemployment,50 million people who lack basic health insurance, a shameful 25 percent poverty rate in children. We don't need an ObamaCares Empathy Tour - we need jobs and nothing but jobs to jump-start this economy.


    And as for Rick Perry, when I heard him braggin' about the vile stuff he does in Texas, I just yelled at the TV, "So, go for it! Secede already!"

    -KAREN

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  65. Wife was telling me Perry has been pushing an idea to the Texas universities to create a program that will train people for jobs, some kind of two or three year program for around ten thousand dollars that actually has a working job at the end of it. Sounds good, but haven't junior colleges been doing this forever?

    b

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  66. That virtual choir is kinda neat but thankfully you'd have a hard time having a similar virtual fishing trip.

    b

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  67. He had "intentions of exploding some devices at Freedom High School on the first day of school next week," Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor said. The targets were believed to be 30 students and two administrators.

    ...

    Cano now faces a variety of felony bomb and drug charges, as he was also found to be cultivating marijuana in his room. The chief said his family was being cooperative with the investigation and there was no reason to believe that any of them knew about the plot.

    Students are set to return to class on Aug. 23 and Castor assured them, "The school will be safe when kids go back next week and there's no indication that anyone else was involved."

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  68. Anonymous said...
    I admit I'm apathetic and ignorant as to how many Legions the Jews 'wiped out'. I just don't care, and don't know.


    Hmm ... Correct ... There is a lesson in there somewhere.

    Like an angry pugilist, you are flaying the air wildly - a sort of dumb and dumber moment.

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  69. People with knowledge of the Justice Department investigation of S.& P. said investigators had made references to several individuals, though it was unclear if anyone would be named in any potential case. Investigators have been asking about a remark supposedly made by David Tesher about mortgage security ratings, two people said.

    The investigators have asked witnesses if they heard Mr. Tesher say: “Don’t kill the golden goose,” in reference to mortgage securities.

    ...

    One former executive who has been mentioned in investigators’ interviews is Richard Gugliada, who helped oversee ratings of collateralized debt obligations. Calls to his home were not returned.

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  70. We know now Allen that the Romans lost 2 1/3 legions and 1 flag.

    And you are right, I couldn't care less about the numbers.

    My argument was against the idea that in politics moderation is no position at all.

    One of the dumbest things I've ever heard.

    It simply doesn't sound like J. Adams to me, but maybe it was spur of the momentous moment.

    I then suggested the Jews might well have been better off if they hadn't taken on Rome, who one of the contesting brothers initially invited in.
    Rome, that lost a whopping 2 1/3 legions and 1 flag in the affair.

    It's the fanes (fanatics- Coleridge) that cause most of the trouble. Islamic fanes these days cause a lot of trouble.

    And it was Jewish fanes that caused a wandering of 2,000 years.

    And Rome lost 2 1/3 legions and 1 flag.

    Hardly enough to make the papers back in Rome.

    b

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  71. He criticized their refusal of a hypothetical debt deal that included a 10-to-one ratio of spending cuts to tax increases, appeared to blast Texas Gov. Rick Perry's small-government philosophy and challenged former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's opposition to the health care overhaul.

    The president wraps up his bus tour of the Midwest Wednesday with a final town hall meeting in Alpha, Ill. Obama held town hall meetings in Minnesota and Iowa on Monday and presided over a Rural Economic Forum at Northeast Iowa Community College in Peosta on Tuesday.

    Obama is scheduled to return to Washington later Wednesday and will travel to Martha's Vineyard on Thursday for a 10-day vacation with his family.

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  72. France's biggest film star Gerard Depardieu was thrown off a plane after urinating in front of fellow passengers when cabin crew refused to let him use the bathroom.

    ...

    Depardieu prides himself on his reputation as a bon viveur but has often admitted that he drinks too much. He has claimed several times to have given up alcohol entirely, but events indicated limited success.

    His recent antics included head-butting a photographer in Italy, calling a French interviewer a "b*tch" on TV and rambling incoherently in crude language. He told a British interviewer in 2005 that he drank "between four and eight bottles" of wine a day.

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  73. But with rebels spread thinly across a fragmented front around Tripoli, their assault represented a slight tightening of the noose rather than the chair being kicked from under Ghadafi's feet.

    Still, anticipating victory, Libya's rebel leaders set out a fresh plan to transform the country from autocracy to a fully blown democracy, in a roadmap that could help define the country for decades to come.

    The draft 14-page "constitutional declaration" plots a path -- via the first elections seen in Libya since 1964 -- to a new constitution and a multi-party democracy inspired by Islamic law.

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  74. President Obama is barnstorming the heartland to boost US jobs in a taxpayer-financed luxury bus the government had custom built -- in Canada, The Post has learned.

    ...

    Hemphill Brothers lists Beyoncé, Cher, KISS, Van Halen, Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, and Pope Benedict XVI as clients on its Web site.

    The Secret Service says the buses will be available to other protectees who travel by bus, which could include the 2012 GOP presidential nominee.

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  75. I would estimate that more than half the jobs in the US are bullshit. Parasitic occupations such as accountants, lawyers, insurance salesmen, social workers, governmental agencies produce nothing of value. .Shit happens when everybody's jobs and livelihoods become dependent on everyone else spending money. Globalization and the proliferation of post-industrial jobs and Big Government have meant that hundreds of millions of people are now dependent on other people spending more and more money. But apart from the plutocrats and bankers, no one has any anymore. The only other segment of society that will survive the coming depression are farmers, hunter-gatherers and those who barter at the subsistence level. Bob will rule.

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  76. Bob will rule.


    :):):):):)


    Was just going to bed, and I needed that.


    I'll be the Prince, as I surely should be, and you can be my domestic policy advisor, while I go awolfing in the mornings, and to the casinos at the night.

    I like you.

    :)

    You sleep tight, g'nite.

    b

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  77. I hope you all read what she just wrote.

    I'M gonna be Number One (1)!


    b

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