The Anchorage Daily News has just endorsed…Barack Obama for president. Say, wasn't there a favorite daughter of the fine state of Alaska on that ticket?
Bora has several videos of some fruit fly researchers defending their work. Of course, if you really want to get into the details, here's the progress report of the very same specific research project that Caribou Barbie dissed.
Walker A Jones
EUROPEAN BIOLOGICAL CONTROL RESEARCH
Director
CS90013 MONTFERRIER SUR LEZ
34988 ST. GELY DU FESC CEDEX
MONTPELLIER,Research Project: DISCOVERY, BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY OF NATURAL ENEMIES OF INSECT PESTS OF CROPS, URBAN AND NATURAL AREAS
2007 Annual Report1a.Objectives (from AD-416)
Explore for natural enemies (pathogens, parasites and predators) in the native range of insect pests identified as high priority targets by the ARS National Program Staff. Identify, colonize and evaluate the most promising natural enemies and ship to U.S. cooperators. Results of laboratory and field studies will be used to improve the ability to predict key factors for application to future programs. Key target pests include the Asian longhorned beetle(Anoplophora glabripennis), emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis), wheat stem sawfly (Cephus cinctus), olive fly (Bactrocera oleae), Formosan subterranean termite (Coptotermes formosanus), and plant bugs (several species).NP304, Component V: Pest Control Technologies. A key natural enemy of the olive fruit fly in Africa is discovered and shipped to California. The olive fruit fly threatens olive production in California. Long known in the Old World, it invaded California without its co-evolved natural enemies. Among several parasitic wasps discovered from Eurasia and Africa, one from Kenya, and southern Africa was showed to be specific to olive fruit fly. Extensive collections in Kenya, South Africa and Namibia yielded several thousand olive fruit flies which were shipped to the ARS laboratory in France for processing. Seventeen shipments containing over 13,000 parasitic wasps (Psyttalia lounsburyi) were subsequently shipped to California for evaluation and release. If successfully established, it is highly likely that pesticide use and associated costs will be substantially reduced. This activity was accomplished in cooperation with USDA-APHIS, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and the University of California, Berkeley.
But of course the Republican party opposes that project. It's one that actually worked.
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color me unsurprised. even if everything else were equal, a lot of us Alaskans are less than happy with our governor right now
My grandfather was an entomologist at NCSU that specialized in ecological pest management. I can only imagine how infuriated he would be right now at Palin's comments and the people defending them. Pest management is of utmost importance for our nations agriculture. If we have to study a pest (fruit fly) that is causing harm to US crops, you'd think that the "Homeland Security" wanking folks would understand the importance be it France, China, Iran or Alabama.
The stupidity and hypocrisy of it astounds me.
I hope I get to book her after she looses, imagine the crowds she'll attract in Europe!
I'm of the opinion that there's only a couple of things that her mouth is good for. Speech is not one of them.
hmm, did i speak too soon? i can't find mention of the endorsement on the Anchorage Daily News site anywhere ...
www.adn.com
maybe it's tomorrow's edition or something?
The latest round of ineptitude has got my wife wondering if McCain & Palin are actually trying to throw the election somehow so the Reps can cast Obama in the role of Hoover II; I admit that it sounds far-fetched, but somehow, it's better than thinking that they actually believe they're running a credible campaign...
She's the one who wanted to blather about funding projects that benefit the public good more than ones that benefit it less. I'm sorry to say that autistic individuals aren't as big a deal as the whole of our agricultural economy, so she loses by virtue of her own reasoning.
Sarah Palin's new waredrobe: $150,000.00
Cost of research project: $211,000.00
Personally I would be happier seeing Sarah with another new set of shoes than waste money of this biosecuritathingymajig.
Yeah, but fruit fly research contradicts creation, so it's ipso facto contradictory to Truth®.
There's no equality supporting evolution just because the research works, and ID research doesn't.
Glen D
http://tinyurl.com/2kxyc7
#9 Corrected:
Yeah, but fruit fly research contradicts creation, so it's ipso facto contradictory to Truth®.
There's no equality in supporting evolution just because the research works, and ID research doesn't.
Glen D
http://tinyurl.com/2kxyc7
@ #5 - http://car54.wordpress.com/2008/10/26/hahahahaha/
What conservatives don't seem to get is that the issue isn't JUST the fruit fly research. It is her abysmal approach to scientific research in general. This is just the epitome of that theist disdain for the search for truth.
They want to play it off like she was commenting on earmarks, when it was obvious she was writing off the funding of science completely.
Yep. Hence the fruit fly / planetarium uproar.
[Palin voice]
Who wants to study fruit flies anywaze but those weirdo scientists?! They're small, icky little pests that spread germs....the flies I mean! *wink* Can't these guys come up with anything better ta do? As vice president I'll put a stop to these kinds of wasteful spendings. You betcha!
{/Palin voice]
http://cbs2.com/local/Sarah.Palin.mannequin.2.849299.html
I have a friend who is very bright bordering on brilliant but she just loves Palin. It has seriously put a damper on our friendship, though I've tolerated her politically conservative ways in the past (as she has tolerated my liberal bent).
My bad though, I accept the blame. I cannot respect anyone with a modicum of intelligence who can't see the Vice Presidential hopeful as the mediocre, clueless, overly ambitious neocon wingnut she is. I'm expecting all hell to break loose next Wednesday, no matter who wins.
It's sound-bite politics. Neither Palin, nor to a lesser extent McCain are interested in making substantive statements and defending their policies - such as they are. They're just hoping that people will hear their provocative statements and not look any deeper.
I don't know... It looks like the Anchorage paper is not so much anti-Palin as anti-McCain. This is the most damning thing the ADN says about her:
"Yet despite her formidable gifts, few who have worked closely with the governor would argue she is truly ready to assume command of the most important, powerful nation on earth."
http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/567867.html
The Houston Chronicle has also endorsed Obama. The Chron is the only daily in Houston, a mostly conservative Hearst rag.
My brane fell out when I heard this last night.
So America's Oil Business Capitol has rejected drill baby.
Perhaps they don't want to pay the gouging prices to pump in the socialist state of Alaska, Venezuela is still a better deal.
scooter: My brane fell out when I heard this last night.
What dimensionality was it falling through?
I've been noticing all kinds of n-dimensional branes flying through me this election cycle.
I felt sorry for McPain, so I photoshopped a campaign poster image for him and sent it to them last night. Couldn't think of a caption, but his staff will come up with something like 'Still better than Socialism', or something.
I put the image at the top of my website. http://acksisoefevil.org
Yes, but that project benefits California, and everyone knows that California isn't Real America.
Hey, if (when?) McCain & Palin lose, will she have to give back the fancy clothes, or will she get to keep them as a parting gift?
oops typo:
McCain Campaign photo: http://acksisofevil.org
Big deal. Everyone knows Anchorage isn't the real Alaska.
Wikipedia's list of endorsements for Obama is very impressive. McCain's, less so.
Republicans only support pest control that requires regular application of petrochemicals. Here these damned scientists are trying to make Nature take care of it! Where's the profit in that?
"They want to play it off like she was commenting on earmarks, when it was obvious she was writing off the funding of science completely."
They're mad because we broke their code. We developed the technology to detect their high-frequency signals (i.e., dog whistles).
"I've been noticing all kinds of n-dimensional branes flying through me this election cycle."
Does it tickle?
I consider the research into natural pest predators about the only realistic and useful way to un-fuck-up the problems caused by importation of pest species. Careful research is needed, so more problems are not created. International trade and travel is likely to cause more and more of this kind of thing, so the problem is going to get worst, not better in the future. More work for biologists, yeah!
"Big deal. Everyone knows Anchorage isn't the real Alaska."
Everyone knows that the parts of America where a lot of Americans live aren't Real America.
Alex, is that kind of misogynistic shit really necessary?
More reason to vote for Obama:
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/31711_Another_Biden_Meltdown_An…
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/31702_Obama_on_the_Redistributi…
I also think it worth noting that Montpelier is not Paris. It is on the Mediterranean coast of France. That is some distance from Paris. Apparently geography (as well as science) is also not one of Palin's speech writer's strong points (nor her strength either; she obviously did not catch it because the only foreign country she knows is the one she sees from her window). It is clear, however, where the speech writer picked out this example: the group 'Citizens Against Government Waste', who gave it the "French Kiss Off" award last year.
http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2008/04/09/news/local/doc47f…
Why CW, whatever do you mean? I think I made my point without resorting to any "misogynistic shit" by simply asserting that speech is not her strong point. Apparently your imagination ushered in the misogynist implications of what a woman's mouth is used for.
HAHAHA.
LGF!! Really?
What a bloviating fool. Gonna send us to the Corner or Town Hall next?
Dumbass.
That reporter is just begging to be hired by Fox News. And her husband is a republican media consultant. Nice try douche bag.
I guess you forgot that McCain threw Klein off his plane.
Steve;
When you libs can't refute an argument or a fact, you attack the source. And resort to name calling.
Typical Democrat Behavior.
I've seen the interview. I think they should shut out that station. Not for doing journalism, they were doing the GOP's job of putting forth bullshit arguments.
And McCain has no problem redistributing the wealth UPWARDS. Gee a tax cut to 95% of the population is redistribution? Yup. As it should be.
Try pointing to REAL news sites rather than the wingnut cesspool...
I actually already read the same stories on talkingpointsmemo.com earlier in the day.
And Paris is not Real France.
They were doing what journalist are supposed to do,ask tough questions. Most in the news media have done more research on joe the plummber, in the last two weeks that they did on Obama in the last two years.
Wonder why?
I would have supposed you would have perfered The Daily Kos or the Huffington Post.
I must of missed these stories there.
I have a journalism degree.
Those were NOT tough questions. Those were STUPID questions.
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/240313.php
Oh and today the feds foiled a plot by skinheads to assassinate Obama.
I hit about 8 liberal blogs this morning, on of them mentioned McCain's "redistributing" meme. It might not of been TPM.
She wasn't acting like a journalist, she was acting like she was auditioning for Faux News. Her bias was so obvious she lost any credibility as a real journalist.
The questions she asked were mostly loaded questions with false presuppositions. Biden should've asked when did her husband, Republican media consultant and party donor, Wade West stop beating her.
I have a friend who is very bright bordering on brilliant but she just loves Palin. - E.V.
No, sorry, you'll have to rephrase that, at present it looks as though you're saying you know an intelligent admirer of Sarah Palin. Come on, surely even intelligent rightists can see she's about as qualified to be VP as Tom Cruise. Or did you mean Michael Palin? But then, why the but?
"...as qualified to be VP as Tom Cruise"
Nick, I think we should refrain from posting material that might give the loons any bright ideas.
Posted by: Steve_C @ 35 "I guess you forgot that McCain threw Klein off his plane."
Goodness! I hope he waited till it was on the ground.
I think they gave him a parachute.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1008/Obama_advisor_pushes_back_o…
The answers the "redistribution" bullshit. He wasn't talking about wealth at all. He was discussing Supreme Court rulings and how they affected the rights of minorities and actually thought the court system isn't the way to achieve a lot of the things that the civil rights movement wanted to achieve.
He was taking a more conservative stance actually.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/10/27/145024/36/995/643777
Plenty of links here that actually get into the, you know "facts", something that Drudge doesn't bother with.
Steve_C said, "He was taking a more conservative stance actually."
Actually I think the Dems are more conservative than the latest incarnation of the Repubs. The Repubs are now so far out on the right wing they are really quite radical. Obama is much closer to a conservative central position. Not too extreme in either direction.
I've decided to pile on too:
http://normdoering.blogspot.com/2008/10/religions-war-on-science-part-2…
I've also noted that Christopher Hitchens has an article on Slate called: "Sarah Palin's War on Science."
I've been as guilty as anyone else of immediately assuming this was Drosophila research (basic research) instead of - by the technical definition - actual fruit fly research (applied research). One of the systems my grad advisor worked in was Drosophila, and we always called them fruit flies, as in "there's another damn fruit fly in the water bath!"
Other bloggers have weighed in on Drosophila vs. real fruit flies.
Hey...I just figured out the title of this post! And I think I have one.
For the love of FSM, the conservatives are so stupid I can't even fathom how dumb they are. That's saying something.
Crush them. Non-violently, of course, and within the bounds of law, but CRUSH THEM. Financially eviscerate them, cut their falsehood-ridden arguments to the quick, speak up on things the rest of the frigging human race is too afraid to address, call for finer definition of the First Amendment, actively push various creotards out of the public sphere, and insinuate ourselves into EVERYTHING so the gobshites will hit a brick wall of rationality and they will be unable to go any further (and hopefully we will be able to make them shrink into nothing).
I have repeatedly said we are not aggressive enough.
The Anchorage Daily News would have endorsed Obama regardless of McCain's running mate.
PZ, just in case you hadn't noticed, Gov. Palin is not running for President, so the Anchorage paper couldn't endorse her for the post regardless of qualifications.
Why is this race Obama vs. Palin?
Ask McCain. He's asking himself the same question.
More fun with Palin:
http://www.rachellucas.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/art-west-hollywoo…
BREAKING NEWS: Alaska Senator Ted Stevens Found Guilty on All Counts
So we all know Alaskans voted a twit like Palin into office, will they also elect a convicted felon?
Why is this race Obama vs. Palin? - Radwaste
Because McCain is not only already dead, bits are falling off him and he's beginning to stink.
Yes, here it is subtitled: The GOP ticket's appalling contempt for knowledge and learning.
The last paragraph is classic Hitch:
Well it is Halloween. Eric, no one here will blush.
Nick;
To answer your question, Yes I do think you are going to be very pissed next week.
I'v been wrong before, but I still think Oboma will blow this election and that the Donks will not pick up 60 seats in the Senatorial races.
Call it wishful thinking or what have you.
Of course you know us rethugs have the election rigged.
It will be close I think.
Riots in the street if Obama loses.
If Obama wins..well there is aways 2010 and 2012.
Obama typo.
sorry.
Steve...Its a good thing nobody made a similar one of Obama.
I'm sure it would be taken in the same Halloween spirit.
Sure.
http://electoral-vote.com/
Eric. There's no way in hell McCain will win.
The GOP will have to steal the election, and I'm sure they'll try.
I don't think we'll pick up 60 senate seats, 58 or 59.
Of course you know us rethugs have the election rigged. - Eric Atkinson
Well, I know you'll do your best, but unless you've got much more efficient at it, it'll be nowhere near enough. Without significant cheating, Obama will win at least comfortably, and I'd say 60 senate seats for the Dems might be a fair bet at evens.
If Obama wins..well there is aways 2010 and 2012.
True. Probably not if the rethuglicans win though: Ms. Golly Gee Wilikins will have got us all noo-cu-lar-ly raptured before then.
http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/10/24/reagan-appo…
Not even some McCain advisors are going to vote for him.
Yeah, there's no nasty history of lynching hockey mom's. That's why there's a difference.
Maybe some liberals are a little upset about how Palin rallies were sounding like lynch mobs.
Democrats making sure only they steal the election:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122506752884870663.html
Hahaha.
Do you want to talk about which has a bigger effect... purging hundreds of thousands of voters or having Mickey Mouse fill a voter registration card that will never get onto the voter rolls?
Acorn isn't committing any voter fraud. We all know the more people that vote the worse the GOP does. That's why they work hard at voter suppression and intimidation.
I am shocked - shocked! to hear that a newspaper endorsed a Democrat for an elected office.
Acorn isn't committing any voter fraud
In fact, iw would be against the law for them not to submit the cards that they suspected were fraudulent.
So, in wingnuttistan "obeying the law" = "breaking the law"
Good to know.
Once upon a time there was a great Republican Party. They had values and issues that they really believed in and so did a lot of Americans. They talked of a balanced budgets, limited foreign adventurism, privacy and rights of all Americans and they really meant it. That party had men in it like Goldwater and Eisenhower. Even when I disagreed with how they wanted to get there, I never had any doubt at all that in their hearts they wanted the best for America just like I did.
That party has been hijacked, pirated away, by neoconservatives, nothing more than ideologues and modern day fascists, and Christian right wing lunatics, begging for a bloody judgement day set off with a nuclear war, with us as its victims. Here's hoping the real Republicans are the ones who can rise from the ashes of this debacle and the rest of us can set about trying to fix the damage to America that the hijackers and parasites have wrought.
It would actually be nice to see a real Republican Party again. They've been gone for at least three decades and I miss them.
Yep mike. It's nice when you can at least respect those you oppose.
#63 Eric Atkinson
Well then that would be part of Gods plan wouldn't it Sarah? Hello? Sarah??
"The Anchorage Daily News has just endorsed...Barack Obama for president"
Oh well, all's not lost...the McCain/Palin ticket still has the endorsements from Al Qaeda and the neo-nazis!
Because McCain is not only already dead, bits are falling off him and he's beginning to stink.
I've always had the impression that he's melting.
Palin Shows How to Transcend the Culture Wars
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122515054936474213.html
I am not shure if this a joke... or if my english is failing me.
Eric Atkinson #40 says, "Most in the news media have done more research on joe the plummber, [sic] in the last two weeks
that they did on Obama in the last two years. Wonder why."
You're a liar.
Wonder why.
You are so concerned with the facts? Okay, here's a general outline: McCampaign is into the snidest and sleaziest image-engineering ever seen in a national campaign. It's not about the actual issues, it's entirely about appearances, looking good by making the other guy look bad, wherever possible (as in, for example, leaping into the economic crisis to look as if he's really a hand's on kinda guy in order to give everybody the chance to see him fix things as Obama twiddles his thumbs, right?...and promptly put his foot in his big mouth. He didn't even know that his own party had weaseled up an alternative plan to Bush's, and he stormed out of there red-faced and with fists clenched ready to bounce heads. The man is truly a Grade-A Jerk).
We are asked to identify with the likes of Joe the Plumber, Joe Six-Pack, and hockey moms. They're a cheezy image of "REAL Americans", you damned well know it, and yet choose to ignore it. It's a SPIEL. It's all crap. You fall for it and give it currency. That makes you a liar along with them. REAL Americans don't need to be coached on who they are and who to identify with. Most of them already know who they are.
Don't you get it? I DO NOT WANT a "maverick" who prefixes every other line with "my friends" with the alacrity of a con-artist, pretends to be a "straight-talking" regular guy with common sense up the wazoo, whines about the importance of qualifications and experience, claims superior leadership and decision-making abilities...and avows "Amerca First". Then that geezer turns right around and selects a friggin' dingbat for a running mate who could place this country in serious jeopardy. Experienced decision-maker? America First? You jmust be out of your friggin' mind. And I haven't even touched on his eratic behavior and the fact that he looks as if he's about to give himself a stroke every time he speaks.
He doesn't give a shit about the country. He's out for Number One, and always has been.
Nope. I don't need that kind of slimy shit anymore to run my country. I decided that. ME. Like MOST Americans will decide for THEMSELVES. That's how it works, okay? Do you mind?
So do yourself a favor and shut the f-ck up. Nobody wants to listen to a liar, and nobody wants to vote for one.
Radwaste #56 asks, "Why is this race Obama vs. Palin?"
It isn't, but the comparison comes easily since McCain himself raised the issue of experience. And the fact that he selected her raises serious questions about his claims to possessing superior decision-making and leadership ability, something he has also heavily harped on. That doesn't much look like a guy who places America First, does it? More like a con-artist who tries to be look appealing. To win votes. To get into power, into a position of influence in charge of juggling lots of money. A fair amount of egomania is involved too, of course. But not to solve any problems. A little bit of lip-service takes care of those pesky details, you betcha. It's all a matter of appearances, as his campaign amply showed with their considerable investment in the hocky-mom's appearance.
Besides, McCain isn't exactly a spring chicken, is he?
Still can't admit you were wrong. Still trying to justify your mouthing off without even a shreck of evidence in the first place.
Palin singled out specific earmarks
Thompson defended his fruitfly earmark this way:
But both the fruit fly research and the narcissitic Public Service Center Palin mentioned - also made it into the Pig Book produced by Citizens Against Waste.
I'm thinking this bit of fruit fly frou-frou would meet more than one of those standards.
The olive fruit fly affects the olive oil industry in California (the only olive producing state), a boutique industry that was worth $32 million in sales in 2002. We have indidivual boutique breweries here that make more than that in a year. And it's not like there aren't other control measures available. Oh wait, what's this:
Snouts in troughs.
Want to make a case for arguing this was appropriate for a federal earmark? Where's the evidence of even a competitive tender? Why doesn't the industry fund it? Why don't the Californians fund it since it's for a local boutique industry? Or do you have a few Democrat donors owning your little boutique farms in the Valley like the do the vineyards?
And hey, if you can't grow olives successfully why not try growing something else. We'll send you our olive oil and we do quite fine with fruit fly control.
You just can't admit it was just Palin-hatred and anti-religious bigotry that prompted your hysteria over the fruit fly research rather than any rational reason based on hard evidence and clear argumentation.
She's gonna kill the Drosophila! It was for autism! No, they canned it because of francophobia! It's the end of science! Run it's Armageddon....now it's what? Vital world saving research?
You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig.
ROFL
Arnosium Upinarum . Is that latin for "Shit Head?"
Moron. Sarah Palin herself implied that the problem was with fruit fly research in France, so of course people are going to ask if she has something against fruit fly research. If Palin had wanted to use clear and honest argumentation, she could have said "some of this money is going for studying a pest threatening the olive oil industry in California, I kid you not".
Yeah like that earmark for studying harbor seal genetics. Are you against that one, too?
The Pig book has the amount listed as
Why'd she chose this one Saint?
I wonder what state is listed as the #1 pork per capita state in the Pig Book?
Heh.
Oh noes! Palin is a socialist!
http://www.jedreport.com/2008/10/oh-no-sarah-palin-is-a-sociali.html
She certainly redistributed wealth to her little town of Wasilla.
She got over $4000 per capita in earmarks for the meth capital of Alaska.
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin employed a lobbying firm to secure almost $27 million in federal earmarks for a town of 6,700 residents while she was its mayor, according to an analysis by an independent government watchdog group.
There was $500,000 for a youth shelter, $1.9 million for a transportation hub, $900,000 for sewer repairs, and $15 million for a rail project -- all intended to benefit Palin's town, Wasilla, located about 45 miles north of Anchorage.
In introducing Palin as his running mate on Friday, Sen. John McCain cast her as a compatriot in his battle against wasteful federal spending. McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, hailed Palin as a politician "with an outstanding reputation for standing up to special interests and entrenched bureaucracies -- someone who has fought against corruption and the failed policies of the past, someone who's stopped government from wasting taxpayers' money."
to Arnosium Upinarum #79
You snarled, "McCampaign is into the snidest and sleaziest image-engineering ever seen in a national campaign"
Now that's how you win people over to your point of view. I'm impressed.
You complained, "He didn't even know that his own party had weaseled up an alternative plan to Bush's"
One small problem: That's not true. It is spin from the Democrat controlled congress, Sen. Obama's camp, and from their willing accomplices in the legacy media & socialist blogs.
What really happened was the Democrats in congress, continuing their MO of excluding the minority party since Jan. 3 2007, made up their own pork laden bill, agreed to it among themselves, then announced it without consulting Republicans. Once again, failing to reach across the aisle, as has been their MO for about 40 years. Sen. Obama falls right in line.
Arnosium roared, "The man is truly a Grade-A Jerk"
Ahh, more reaching across the aisle. Thank you for your insight.
Arnosium opined, "REAL Americans don't need to be coached on who they are and who to identify with."
You would think, but alas, not when it comes to political campaigns. Just look at Barack's TV ad featuring his grandfather, his mother and grandmother. He is trying to associate himself with his grandfather's record, when in fact; he displays nothing that relates to his grandfather's character and WWII service (except in his book, where he describes his grandfather as a "dreamer").
Who's he trying to "coach?
You shouted, "Then that geezer turns right around and selects a friggin' dingbat for a running mate who could place this country in serious jeopardy. Experienced decision-maker?"
If that's your judgment, why are you supporting Sen. Obama? You believe that Gov. Palin has no experience even though she's been a governor for about 2 years and a Mayor for 6 years.
Sen. Obama, on the other hand, has no (that's 0 [zero]) government executive experience and has never managed a budget.
And he chose Senator Biden as his running mate. A guy who cannot get anything correct in his supposed area of expertise. Recall Sen. Biden saying "we kicked - along with France; we kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon." FYI: We never kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon. Hezbollah is a major political party in the Lebanese government right now and has been for years.
Remember, this guy is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
You moaned, "Nope. I don't need that kind of slimy shit anymore to run my country. I decided that." ME. Like MOST Americans will decide for THEMSELVES. That's how it works, okay? Do you mind?
I am with you on that and I don't mind at all. I just like making an informed vote. One based on facts rather than political fiction, innuendo, partisan politics and emotion.
Remember: When someone is selling something, such as sub-prime loans, used cars, and votes, the norm is to promote what they believe will sell their beliefs and they will downplay or omit any information that doesn't help their cause.
FYI: The fact is that Sen. Obama voted along party lines 100% of time that he has been caught voting. On tough issues, he votes "present" (130 times in the state senate) Using the Democratic Party's spin, Obama has voted with President Bush 40% of the time (this means that your Democrats support President Bush at least 40% of the time).
He went along with the DNC and didn't even seek the support of Michigan and Florida voters during the primaries because his party was playing games with the election. That is 44 electoral votes. It was a historic event that the legacy media has downplayed. The DNC denied tens of millions voters their constitutional rights.
Sen. Obama is not an agent for change. He's an agent for more of the same, only amplified by the triad of Obama, Reid and Pelosi.
Mover. You're funny. The states were playing games with the primaries. The Democrats attempted to punish them. Obama was just following the rules layed down by the party.
The DNC didn't deny anyone's rights.
You're such a git.
How's the voter roles purge going?
Steve_C,
That's a nice fantasy you've got going there.
Too funny
Hey Mover,
Make sure you come back to be laughed at on November 5! McSenile and Governor Golly Gee Wilikins are going to get hammered - because fortunately, few Americans are as stupid as you.
Got something to support your assertion Mover?
Nick,
Yes, you are way too smart for me.
But thank you the intellectual sparing. I am overwhelmed with all the information you have provided to prove your point.
Thanks again.
Nick, Yes, you are way too smart for me. - Mover
I'm well aware of that, but it's hardly a notable achievement.
As for the Palin/Obama comparison, it's laughable. Palin's ignorance and stupidity are plain every time she opens her mouth. A 2008 VP candidate who doesn't know what the "Bush doctrine" is, who does not accept the scientific consensus in areas where she is profoundly ignorant (evolution, global warming), who sneers at scientific research because she doesn't understand it, who can't name a newspaper she reads, who thinks that being able to see Russia from her state gives her foreign policy expertise, who gets her gubernatorial campaign blessed against witchcraft... McCain's only excuse for selecting her is senility - otherwise, one can only interpret it as a gigantic two-fingered salute to the electorate.
Dear Rev. BigDumbChimp
The DNC, under the Howard (the madman) Dean's leadership, excluded Michigan and Florida electors from participating in the primaries as punishment. You know, like teachers how used to scold unruly children for something they no control over. They debated this position and when they found out that they had a problem just before the convention, that being they did not have enough electoral votes to select a nominee. So, at the last minute they relented a little.
Here is a story where they pronounced that they were denying the vote: "DNC Strips Florida Of 2008 Delegates" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/25/AR20070…
An intermediary story about problems Mr. Dean has caused: "Geller sues DNC alleging Voting Rights Violations"
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2008/05/geller-sues-dnc.ht…
Here is the story where they had to reconsider: "Mich., Fla. Delegates Partially Reinstated after Raucous DNC Showdown"
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/politics/jan-june08/delegates_05-31…
They allowed half of the delegates to vote. So, they denied 22 delegates, that translates to denying millions of votes.
If you vote and your delegate cannot place his/her vote for you
These are all inter party issues. The party tries to organize the primaries in a way that makes campaigning fathomable and tries to spread the electoral votes around.
States jumping to the front of the line so they can have greater impact on the process isn't fair either. Did those states deny the voting rights of the other states?
The entire convention and primary process seems to be a bit over your head, Mover.
#85 Rev. BigDumbChimp
Pork Per Capita by State:
(National Average: $33.77 Per Person)
Oh my...
#1 Alaska...Pork/Capita $555.54... sixteen and a half times the national average!
#81 saint
Yep!
Dear Nick,
I see that you have opinions. That is good. However your opinions do not constitute facts.
As for your opinion of Palin's knowledge of "the Bush Doctrine", you might want to ask Charlie Gibson about it as he doesn't know either. (From slate.com: "In the pop-quiz question about the Bush Doctrine even Charlie Gibson--who knew, presumably, what was coming--didn't define it correctly.)
Now, as for "who does not accept the scientific consensus in areas where she is profoundly ignorant (evolution, global warming)."
I understand that science is based on facts as defined by repeatable experiments (peer review). Echoing an opinion or theory that you like, and that a thousand like-minded folk agree with (also known as an "echo chamber" or a "consensus") is not fact. It is a theory and an opinion no matter what insults you hurl.
BTW: Did you know that today is the coldest day in the Tampa Bay area since they started keeping those kind of records? Must be that global warming consensus thingee again.
"who sneers at scientific research because she doesn't understand it"
I don't believe she 'sneered' at it or the science. I believe she used it as an example of an earmark, which it was. Does this help you understand that not all things coming from politicians isn't an assault on your sensibilities?
I would also guess that there are tens of millions of Obama supporters that don't understand it either.
"who thinks that being able to see Russia from her state gives her foreign policy expertise"
Easy there, pal. Try reviewing the remark and I believe you may notice that she was being facetious. You do have a sense of humor, don't you? Normal people do.
"who gets her gubernatorial campaign blessed against witchcraft"
It looks like you are repeating assumptions from your like-minded friends. I've seen the video of a guest in their church. A guest from Africa, where millions believe in witches and, possibly, giant flying spaghettis monsters. Do you have a problem being gracious with guests from cultures that you may not be familiar with?
"McCain's only excuse for selecting her is senility"
Or, the fact that voters, especially mushbrained voters, have been clamoring for "change", even though they aren't sure what "change" they want. I say 'aren't sure' because you are supporting someone who has never tried to change any decisions that have been made by his party or anything else that I can find, and I've been looking.
Gov. Palin has actually changed a few things where she could. She got rid of corrupt politicians in her own party and lowered taxes that had just been raised by the previous administration. She is a change agent. Just what you've been looking for.
" - otherwise, one can only interpret it as a gigantic two-fingered salute to the electorate."
So, you aren't even from this country, aye mate? Go finger... I mean figure.
Oh yeah. Maybe you are trying to impress me with your knowledge of international sign language. Well, thanks for the effort.
Mover, would you care to document your claims with evidence?
Is this the latest Right Wing Sound Bite?
I have seen it in several different forums/blogs/newspapers...
Alaska has no sales or income taxes. Palin did cut the fuel tax, but she also raised the corporate tax on oil companies. Sounds like a wash to me.
BTW: Did you know that today is the coldest day in the Tampa Bay area since they started keeping those kind of records? - Mover
This statement alone establishes that you are a moron; look up the difference between "climate" and "weather". As for anthropogenic global warming in general, it is the considered opinion of the overwhelming majority of relevant experts that it is real, and an urgent problem. In areas of science where you are ignorant, it makes sense to accept, provisionally, what the relevant expert community has concluded. Ditto, of course, on evolution.
Your other points are mostly irrelevancies. Do you really not think that a VP candidate should have some idea what the "Bush doctrine" is? It wasn't a question of not quite defining it accurately - she obviously hadn't a clue. Ditto regarding foreign policy in general - she quite evidently knows damn all about it, although the VP is supposed to be ready to take charge at a moment's notice.
Do you have a problem being gracious with guests from cultures that you may not be familiar with?
I have a problem with anyone who goes anywhere near the "Assemblies of God", theocratic lunatics of the most unpleasant kind.
Sure she's an agent of change - want to get rid of a state trooper who had a messy divorce with your sister, and she's your woman all right.
I'm not, incidentally, particularly keen on Obama - far too religious and right-wing for me, though he will I believe be forced into fairly radical policies by the situation Chimpy will have left the US in. However, I do think the world will be safer if the US president has a fully functioning brain - something Obama clearly has, and neither McSenile nor Governor Golly Gee Wilikins gives any indication of possessing.
Late to the thread,been away for a few days,but look at that,Hitchens calls McCain "borderline senile",yay !!
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=AD8uHW0hbiA
#102
First let me apollogise for taking so long to get back to you.
Do you really not think that a VP candidate should have some idea what the "Bush doctrine" is?
No, I don't. Especially if the opposition party keeps miss-identifying the current presidential candidate with the about-to-retire-president. If McCain has any appearance of being like President Bush, it would be their insistence on "reaching across the aisle". A fools errand at best.
"Ditto regarding foreign policy in general - she quite evidently knows damn all about it, although the VP is supposed to be ready to take charge at a moment's notice.
Let's be clear. President Clinton, every mush brain's hero, had zero (0) foreign policy experience when he became president and his VP was a dolt. We survived (although he did let Al Queada get out of control). All of the character assassination directed at Governor Palin is pure leftist politics. She is hated because she is pro-life and and lives her values by not having her handicapped baby killed, as a feminist would. She feminine but not a feminist. Feminists are a major Democrat constituency and, apparently, That makes her the enemy of Demoicrats
She's the one politician out of the thousands of politicians that have passed across our TVs over that last 4 decades who actually changed government for the betterment of her state's citizens.
That fact must just blow your minds.
You see the reason I won't vote for Democrats is because I have been listening to their rhetoric for four decades. They keep promising they will fix tings and demonize their political adversaries (as with Palin). Once the election is won, it's back to business as usual. About 20 years ago, I figured out that:
1. They never fix anything because if they did, they would have to think up new programs. Let's take social security. They have been going to fix it for at least 28 years and have yet to do that. Why? Because they love spending the trust fund on their other priorities. And the Great Society" programs have accomplished nothing except incumbent protection, tripling the number of fatherless homes and has kept poor people poor while increasing their numbers.. If you want to fix it, you're a mean person.
2. Their priorities are their own enrichment by way of maintaining power and influence. Between Democrats and Republicans trying to push each other out, they've made laws that ensure no other party can even play competitively. They gerrymander their districts for their own political security and flat out lie about their political opponents. Recall the Obama TV spot where they claim McCain will keep the war in Iraq going for 100 years. Of course McCain did not say that. He said that we would have a presence in Iraq, much like the good relationship we have all over the world where our troops (and me at one time) are stationed that it could be in place for 100 years. Very different than Barack's mis-characterizations.
3. If a Democrat says he's going to cut taxes, he's lying. Democrats have never cut taxes on anyone without being pushed into it. Barack is lying as well. Once in office, he'll cop the Clinton line, who ran on tax cuts and said after the election, 'well, now that I see the state of the budget, I can't cut taxes like I wanted to'. Uh huh. Get ready. Then he raised taxes on everyone, made it retroactive and grieving families had to refile 1040s for their recently deceased family members. Even social security recipients got hit. A few years later during reelection stops, Clinton said, "maybe I raised your taxes too much".
4. Conversely, if a Democrat says he's going to raise taxes, you can bet the store that he is going to raise taxes. What a lot of blue collar Democrats do not understand is that Politicians from both parties use their power to get more power and they do that by pedaling government contracts, spending your money on their pet projects, supporters and friends. Barack has promised to raise taxes and business, and he will. With Reid, Pelosi and 60 Dems in the Senate, we won't be able to stop them.
I have to say that I'm not that impressed with the way Republicans have been acting either. The advantage of them over Democrats for me is that they will cut taxes and they understand the dynamic of taxes and the economy. Republicans have been trying for at least a decade to reign in the bad credit decisions that Barney Frank and Chris Dodd have been pushing for as long.
Let's be clear on one thing. The failure of the banking and investment markets has a lot less to do with President Bush's policies, as the liar, Barack Obama, has been selling. It is the fault of Democrats in the US Congress, who refused to add some safety valves to it, the Clinton Administration who were actively pushing credit to those who could not pay it back and the CRA of President Carter.
Barack Obama has promised to raise taxes on the job produces, kill the coal markets, and restrict foreign trade. That is exactly what Herbert Hoover did during the Great Depression and is the likely candidate for the major reason why the depression lasted for 10 more years. And FDR's "New Deal" programs exacerbated it as well.
Heaven help us if Mr. Obama wins.
Mover, heaven help us if your lot gets in. Of course, heaven doesn't exist. You presented a lot of blather which nobody will read. But we still need help if your lot wins. At least you should disappear after the election like a good right wing toad.
#105
What "bad" things are going to happen if McCain wins?
I can think of a few.
1. The Republican "brand" moves more to the left, due to McCain's M.O. of reaching across the aisle. This will cause more of the base to give up on them.
2. The taxpayers get a break.
3. Energy costs go down as new nuclear power plants go on line, drilling starts in this country, and the next Alaska pipeline gets built (trillions of cubic ft of natural gas).
4. The cost of health insurance goes down. (government programs, price setting and liability insurance caused it's current high cost)
5. Clean coal usage increases in the 150 coal fired power plants that are already scheduled for construction. (As opposed to "bankrupting the coal industry", as Barack says he'll accomplish)
6. New jobs stay in this country.
7. Unions won't be able to get the open vote requirements passed into law.
8. The US Congress won't be able to nationalize your 401k's, then grab half of it when you die (as opposed to your family getting your hard earned and triple taxed dollars)
9. The Democrats in the US Congress don't have unfettered power to damage the country more than they already have.
10. All the debateless spending (earmarks) in congress will be brought to light.
11. A reduction is the tax dollars handed over to ethanol producers and subsequent reduction in the cost of food.
12. Immigration law gets changed.
I can see how all that would be a real drag.
- Mover
It would be more apposite to apologise for coming back at all.
#107
"Palin is hated because she's stupid, ignorant, bigoted, theocratic scum."
Palin believes in an authority that is higher than her own, like about 95% of Americans. Since you hate her for that, then it carries that you hate anyone to believes in a higher authority. Or, 95% of your fellow Americans. Is that about right?
Crap. See http nutjob.com,.. particularly the figures on GDP growth and unemployment."
OK. So you believe that an average 19.16% unemployment rate from 1934 through 1939 shows that the "New Deal" helped matters? Your nutjob site says that the movement of the GNP into the positive side proves the New Deal was a good thing.
That does not compute. If the GNP growth was so beneficial, why did unemployment stay so high (average 19.16%)? Who was benefiting from the new deal? Who was doing the working? I'll suggest that probably was the same people who were employed and making a living all through the Great Depression. FDR's plans only helped those that didn't need help, the wealthy class. The same people that you, and other leftists try and pin on Republicans.
"There is no heaven, halfwit."
Probably not for such a curmudgeon as you portray yourself. I believe Heaven is a state of consciousness where all peoples just get along.
You have to much hate in you. You should let it go. Go buy some Feng Shui with your mom's food stamps, or a dog, or better yet, get out of the basement and walk over to the library and learn something.
"What happens if McCain wins?"
I already gave you a list. Did you get someone to read it to you?
" Might as well ask what happens if fifty thousand flying purple monkeys suddenly materialise over Manhattan.
Sorry, but I do not believe in flying purple monkeys, and you shouldn't either.
Do the, right, err, Correct thing, Vote McCain/Palin.
Looks like almost everybody who posts here is doing the right and voting antirepublican. Mover, it's people like you doing what you did by just disrupting the threads that give the republicans a bad name.
Nerd of Redhead,
People like me doing what I'm doing that gives Republicans a bad name?
Did I say, "Palin is hated because she's stupid, ignorant, bigoted, theocratic scum."
Did I call anyone a "toad"?
Did I say anyone is "profoundly ignorant"
Did I call anyone "McSenile"
Did I call anyone a "Moron"
Did I call anyone a "friggin' dingbat"
No. It's not Republicans or conservatives that are promoting hate speech. Just pick up a mirror and you'll find the promoters of hate speech.
Mover, you came to a known liberal blog. Why be surprised that we don't like conservatives. And why be surprised when we didn't agree with you. But then, you weren't upfront about your party affiliation. So you were not truthful yourself. The election is today. Get over it. Things will be decided one way or the other.
Redhead,
I just did a word search and found that no one posting here were upfront about party affiliation. So by your standard, no one here is truthful. Interesting
Me surprised? No.
I knew what I was getting into from the the link to this given by a coworker.
Mover, your posts indicate otherwise. Your insipid arguments were refuted, and you didn't like it. Then you blame us for being nasty, when you need to look at yourself and why you even posted here, at a known liberal/atheist blog, in the first place. It wasn't to agree with us, it was to argue with us. So you got argued with vigorously. So time for you to move on.
What would be the purpose of posting nothing but agreement DO researchers and scientists not discuss their work with others? I always understood the realm of scientific endeavor was to get others to agree with the findings.
I get the impression that opinions other than your own are to be disdained. Shunned to make them go away so that the disturbance will stop. Is your world view that delicate?
My arguments were mostly answered with opinionated disdain, rather than any real attempt to change my position to one that you might agree with.
Not really a friendly group.
If my comments made you fell a little repentant for being mean spirited, don't worry about it. I will no doubt be alerted to one of these comical blogs and I'll be back to disturb the force, as it were.
You deserve the disdain.
WE WON! NYAH NYAH NYAHHHH.
Say good bye to your "permanent" majority.
Mover, there is a lot of confusion in your post. Most of the posters here are atheist and liberals. There are a few scientists, like myself, sprinkled among them. But we all have an appreciation for the scientific method and the fact that it works.
Science doesn't care about uninformed opinions. If you have an opinion on ID/creationism, we won't bother listening to you any further than is needed to refute you. Science is based on evidence, and there is no evidence in the scientific literature backing ID/creationism, so non exists as far as science is concerned. Most laymen don't understand this, and think their opinion trumps evidence. The need for evidence tends to carry over into our political discussions.
This blog tends to be very progressive/liberal. When conservatives post here, we see a lot of distortions of the truth and jingoism. You displayed these traits, and got hammered because of it. If you really want to post here, stop posting in this old thread and post in one of the active thread on the front page. It seems that creobots and godbots are the only ones who can't update their bookmarks.
#115
Children do as children are.
#116
"distortions of the truth and jingoism. You displayed these traits"
Here is your proof that, although you may believe that you base your views on science and facts, the truth is you are very close-minded on topics that skew your world view.
I have engaged in no distortions of the truth and jingoism on this thread.
I am not emotional about this country and I don't support an eagerness to wage war.
However, after a country is actively engaged in a war, there is only winning the war. There is no withdraw with dignity. Short wars save lives in the long run. And, I am disturbed by the choices Bush made in Iraq. I'm now sure that Rumsfeld does not understand the term "force protection". That mistake cost thousands of lives.
Distortions?
Look at my first post in this thread. Sure, I used some inventive ways to characterize Arnosium's rant. But what I offered were reality checks on a biased partisan position. Like this one:
He snarled, "McCampaign is into the snidest and sleaziest image-engineering ever seen in a national campaign"
My response was that his remarks would not help to reach across the aisle, so to speak. Isn't reaching out a prime concern of liberals, progressives, and supporters of the Democratic Party? We always hear that mantra whenever hearing the news about them.
How is that distorted?
#91
I don't know that I would call 52% for Obama and the senile one, to McCain and the conservative one's 47% as getting "hammered". More like "comfortable", but not enough for "mandate".
Actually, with 8 years of Republicans being responsible, the President being from the same party as McCain and his lower than low approval ratings (almost as low as the Democrat congress), along with the successful "blame the Republican's deregulation" for the credit liquidity crisis, one might think that McCain/Palin did quite well.
It's good to have the legacy media on your side.
#111
Why be surprised that we don't like conservatives.
What I don't get is not liking someone because of their views. Personally, I like almost everyone. I harbor no malice against anyone just because they have differing views. (BTW: I work in a hot bed of scientists and researchers who talk about 2060 reports, environmental change and cap & trade, in the most supportive terms. We have atheists as well)
It appears that I am the open minded one around here.
Mover, if you are open minded, why aren't you posting on today's theads. The continued posting in old threads is a sign of a godbot or creobt. You try to justify yourself, but just come across as a whiner. Grow some balls and join us on the front page, or disappear.