LA2000's Comments (349)

“I am guessing the weak link was in Nigeria. As long as he didn't exit the secure areas of the Amsterdam airport after he arrived there from Nigeria, he wouldn't need to be rescreened.”

“I know that on the flights I have taken to Israel from the US, there is a second security screening prior to boarding and after the general security screening that all passengers go through. Only the passengers bound for Israel go through this second screen at a specially equipped boarding gate. I don't know if that second screening is run by the TSA or the Israeli equivalent or the airline (usually Continental in my case), but perhaps they could set up a similar system for inbound US flights.”

“She looks great. The only negative comments that would be legitimate on this topic would have to come from other 47 year old women who feel they look even better. If that is you, please include (recent) photos.”

“"I know it's brutal on you that you can't be with me all the time. I get it."

The whole tone of these emails strikes me as far more narcissistic than lovelorn. Nowhere does he mention what he actually likes about her, what he misses about her. It's all about him.”

“I would imagine that his major endorsements are quietly renegotiating his compensation right now - in exchange for not publicly dropping him.

Even if this doesn't end in divorce, its going to cost him big time.”

“Medicare buy in is not a good idea unless anyone at any age can do it. And an age restricted medicare "buy in" in lieu of a strong public option is a disaster.

The insurance industry would be thrilled with this. It would encourage those customers who are the most expensive to cover to leave so they could continue to profit off of the young and healthy without facing strong public option competition that would lower prices.

This is just the insurance industry's way of muddying the waters so they can defang the public option and increase their profit margin at the expense of taxpayers.

Don't fall for it. We need a good solution, not just any solution.”

“Old? She would have been in her very early 40's in 1971 - probably around the same age as Jennifer Lopez is now. How is that old?

You think the paparazzi wouldn't try to shoot J Lo nude if they could?”

“Yikes. Your comments are just more of the same right wing cannibalism that has every moderate republican running for the exits. I ought to know, I'm one of them. Voted for Reagan. Voted for Obama.

What are you seeing as Andrew Sullivan heads for the door is any semblance of diversity evacuating your sinking ship.

In case you haven't realized it yet, you need more (not fewer) supporters if you have any shot at a comeback.”

“Yes. Every time I see Lindsay Lohan, the first thing I think: muscular.

Whaaat?

And if you didn't care, why in the world did you click on the article, let alone comment? No one made you read it.

If homosexuality makes you uneasy, read something else.”

“Wow. Your story is pretty much my story. Glad to see I am not the only one.”

“I am a lifelong registered republican. Watching the slow motion, self inflicted collapse of the party over the last decade has been one of the saddest things I have ever witnessed. I can only liken it to watching a friend you once respected spiral out of control in a haze of self destructive behavior, drugs, and alcohol. You hate to see them fall to pieces, but you know the faster they hit rock bottom, the sooner they will wake up and start pulling themselves back together.

More moderate republicans need to do what Charles Johnson did. They need to stop being enablers and let this party hit rock bottom. America needs a coherent, contributive 21st century republican party if it is to be a fully functioning democracy. Right now, we just have the democrats on one side and a big pile of bitter incoherence on the other.”

“When Bill Clinton left office, the United States was projected to be debt free by 2009. Then came the Bush tax cuts and a war in Afghanistan, an elective war in Iraq, the largest unfunded entitlement program in the history of the country (the republican medicare prescription drug plan which was nothing more than a big taxpayer giveaway to drug companies), and the near meltdown of capitalism worldwide.

So yes, its all Obama's fault.

I have never seen a party so desperate for control and so terrified of responsibility and consequence as this current crop of yellow bellied republicans. As a registered republican myself, I am just glad we finally have a president who is willing to deal with the hard truth and who is willing to speak the truth rather than just tell us what we want to hear.

You cannot have 2 wars and a financial meltdown (all of which occurred on the republican watch, mind you) without seeing a tax increase. It's just not fiscally possible and its certainly not responsible.”

“What I find rather disturbing here is that someone may be physically abused by their partner and can then be prevented, by the alleged abuser, from presenting themselves to police even when they arrive to investigate, and that's ok. The police just seem to sort of shrug.

If this was a poor woman in a trailer park somewhere instead of Tiger Woods, how would the police even know she was still alive? And would they even care?”

“If government creates a healthcare tax with a matching credit, you are not forced to buy anything. You are not forced to buy a house or have kids simply because they issue tax credits that reduce your tax bill if you do. If you don't want to buy insurance, just pay your taxes and go on with life.

This is a non issue.”

“This strikes me as rather simple to solve.

We add a mandatory healthcare surtax to all income and issue a matching credit for the surtax to those with proof of insurance. The enforcement falls to IRS which currently has the developed capability to red flag those who falsely claim major, provable deductions (like deducting interest on a mortgage for a house they didn't buy).

And by the way, if its a tax with a matching credit it doesn't constitute a mandate so there is no court fight. No one considers mortgage interest deductions or dependent credits a mandate to own a house or have kids. If you don't want to buy insurance, fine by us. Just pay your taxes and move on.”

“I am a registered republican, but listening to this woman attempt to hoist the party to some sort of political advantage using the bodies of those killed at Ft. Hood is one of the most sickeningly opportunistic things I have ever witnessed in my life. Not to mention, completely inaccurate. What about the shootings at LAX in July 2002 which federal investigators declared a terrorist attack?

http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/09/04/lax.shooting/index.html

If Ft. Hood counts as a terrorist attack, then so does that incident, as they are virtually identical.

So I guess President Bush didn't keep us safe after all.”

“It is all a much bigger machine than that now. People sell their time in the spotlight, not a "product." Paris Hilton didn't do anything or make anything in the beginning, but by simply generating attention for herself, created a mini industry of products, appearances, shows, and endorsements.

The white hot commodity of our day is focused attention. If you have it, companies will pay handsomely to be allowed a piece of it. As long as everyone is talking, clicking, gossiping, protesting, and viewing, Adam Lambert Inc. will be able to make money.”

“JLO says the brand name "Louboutin" 34 times in 3 and a half minutes. That is once for every 6 seconds of song. No one can confuse this with art or music. It's crass advertising, plain and simple. I am sure she was compensated quite handsomely to stamp her name on this jingle.

Given that, why do I think you don't want to fall while singing a commercial about high priced heels on prime time. Louboutin will be the pricey high heel brand forever associated with falling in public.

Serves them right.”

“Umm, she won an emmy for best comedy writing for 30 Rock. She created the show. She was also head writer on SNL. She also wrote the hit pic "Mean Girls".

So yes, she can write. And act. And produce. Movies. And television.

Sarah Palin is just a gag she does for kicks. It is not her bread and butter.”

“I'm sure thats what she thinks every time she dusts her 3 Emmy's for Best Comedy Series, her 1 Emmy for Best Actress in a Comedy Series, her 1 Emmy for Best Writing in a Comedy Series, her 2 Golden Globes for Best Actress in a Comedy Series, and her Golden Globe for Best Television Comedy.

Oh, and that doesn't include the Emmy she won for her performances of Sarah Palin on SNL.

So yes, her impression of Sarah Palin is all she's got. Poor thing.”

“The same person who told you how to vote the last time: Heidi from "The Hills."”

“Keep telling yourself that. This is the same delusional thinking that had the democrats assuming that Reagan and 80's republicanism were just a passing fad. Their solution: just keep running liberals and pretend the Reagan revolution never happened. It took them 12 years to come back from that wrongheaded thinking and now republicans are making the same mistake with their radical conservatives. Most Americans aren't looking for extremes or ideology. They are looking for practical and efficient answers. This is something the democrats (particularly Obama, to the dismay of some liberals) understand. That is why I voted for Reagan in the 80's and that is why I voted for Obama. Obama is the middle. And if you can't make the centrists in this country comfortable, you can't win nationally.

The fastest way back for republicans is to move towards the pragmatic middle and begin slowly working voters back towards the right. That, however, requires a fresh approach and ideas, of which the republicans seem to be in short supply. And frankly the current crop of republicans come off as too bitter, arrogant and obstructionist to earn the trust of pragmatic swing voters again any time soon. The conservatives can't even bring themselves to admit there is a problem (although they are whip quick at assigning blame to someone, anyone, else). Too bad. America could use two fully functioning political parties right about now. Instead, we are left with just the democrats.

And I say that as a lifelong registered republican.”

“She may excite the noisy lunatic fringe, but she does not excite the deep pockets of the republican establishment that have the money necessary to make a presidential run possible. In fact, she has been busy biting the very hands she will need if she wants to make a serious run. No one, not even the republicans, believe she can handle the national stage. And so far, all the evidence would suggest that they are right.

Rabid, dedicated fans aren't enough to win the nomination. Just ask Ron Paul.”

“Well, she certainly has the most definitive quality found in republican politicians: failure to accept responsibility for any of her own actions.

Always cast the blame on someone else. That's leadership.”

“I am not a Gaga fan, but what impresses me about her is how incredibly committed she is to putting on a show. It is SHOW business, and unlike most artists today, she seems to understand that in a way we haven't seen since Madonna started slowing down in the mid 90's. She hires the best photographers and directors. There is not a whiff of lazy or cheap to be found in anything she attempts.

More artists should follow that example.”