MelRoy's Comments (433)

“Maybe Carter would have been a better analogy. I voted for Carter/Mondale; Carter tried to get meaningful legislation passed during his administration, but he presided over a horrible economy, one domestic crisis after another; he had a person close to him who was a source of constant embarrassment (brother Billy) and the bad news seemed to take over and undermine his accomplishments (like brokering peace between Israel and Egypt, for which he never got enough credit, IMO). He was elected to clean up Washington after Watergate and the Nixon executive pardon, but it was an uphill battle. All it will take is a charismatic Republican who paints Obama as weak on the economy, Iran and promises leadership and you've got a recipe for a one-term Democrat president followed by a two-term Republican president (because economic booms and busts are cyclical, and Republicans always seem to end up enjoying - and taking credit for - the upturn that happens towards the end of their first term).”

“Thanksgiving blessings to all my fellow HuffPosters.

Gobble gobble gobble.”

“As an avid reader of books, I may buy this one on the strength of literary reviews. I am NOT about to spend money on a book because it is about Sarah Palin, but neither will I refuse to buy it because it's about Sarah Palin. It just depends on how well-written it is, and I will not allow any self-described "conservative" or "liberal" assist me with that judgment. Where are the literary reviews? I haven't seen one in any newspaper's Books section. Perhaps I will today (being a Sunday).

The most insightful "political" autobiography I have read was "by" Barbara Bush. It was so good I read it in three days during a vacation.”

“Recommended reading:

The Career of Nicodemus Dyzma by Tadeusz Dołęga-Mostowicz
Being There by Jerzy Kosinski”

“Should we elect people to high office because they are "just like us"?

I love my best friend but she shouldn't be POTUS - I think she would say the same about me.”

“http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/1013298.html”

“Palin is a media phenomenon, like Paris Hilton and Balloon Boy's dad.”

“I'm not sure I get this. I'm frugal and own two pairs of Choos (and two pairs of Manolos).

Bought both the Choos new in box on ebay; the Manolos in a sample sale.

I can get my entire wardrobe - all seasons - in my extremely tiny closet. I actually own very little in the way of clothes, but the clothes I own are very high quality and never go out of style. One of my suits (I own four in total) is tailor-made and cost $700, but I bought it in 1994. My winter coat is Donna Karan. I bought it in 2002 - on sale. Does anybody get this?

The real problem is when people shop to make themselves feel good, or for something to do. They tend to buy this season's trend, which is not next season's trend. Sometimes they shop as a panacea or a habit. They end up spending all their money (and more) on clothes they might wear two or three times. THAT is where people get into trouble. I know. Back in the '80s, I was one of them.”

“In an article yesterday about Levi Johnston's most recent interview, a Republican strategist laughed, "This guy reminds us every day just how low rent (the Palins) really are".”

“You mean "brava".

BRAVA!!”

“They've published pictures of some of the victims. All of them, from what I can tell, were very young - including a couple of teenagers. Which saddens me even more than if they had been older.

But it's necessary to discuss the shooter and his motives because we don't want it to happen again. If, as it seems was the case, Hasan's peers sensed he had extremists tendencies because of some things he said, they should have done more than debate with him. They should have told his superiors. The more I read, the more I think this could have been prevented, if people were more open about their discomfort with verbal expressions of extremism/­craziness, and not so afraid of offending sensibilities or facing accusations of racism or religious intolerance.”

“Imam,

There are indications his views were known by his peers and superiors in the military, so I fear this may have been a case of them hoping Hasan would never act out.

Not good enough! Anyone in the military espousing extreme views, either couched in religious terms or not, should undergo intensive psych screening, and if they're as crazy as Hasan obviously is, should be sectioned.

The best thing Muslims in the military can do is flag up extremists in their midsts - for their own sake as well as the sake of potential future victims. I have read that many Muslims at Fort Hood knew of Hasan's extremist views and had all tried to talk sense into him. But these soldiers and the imam at the local mosque should have recognized they were not dealing with a sane person. You can't reason with the insane!

Pfc. Steven D. Green was found to have "homicidal ideations" after seeking help from an Army Combat Stress Team in Iraq on Dec. 21, 2005. So what did they do? Prescribed him a mood regulating drug and threw him back into combat. No follow-up examinations were scheduled until he set a puppy on fire and threw it from the roof of a building a month later. Eight days before the appointment (scheduled for March 20), he raped 14-year-old Abeer Qassim al-Janabi, before shooting her, setting her body on fire and massacring her family.”

“There are indications his views were known by his peers and superiors in the military, so I fear this may well have been a case of them just hoping the guy would never act out.

Not good enough. For the safety and protection of all our military men and women, anyone espousing any similar views, either couched in religious terms or not, should undergo intensive screening to see if they are fit, and if they're not, should be sectioned.

As with the Virginia Tech killer, whose parents, fellow students and professors knew he had violent fantasies, it might be we, as a society, suffer from difficulties with offending the sensibilities of people based on race or religion. The problem with keeping information to yourself when confronted with a ticking time bomb is, not only do innocent people die, but there is always a backlash by association.

The best thing the moderate Muslim community can do is flag up extremists in their midsts. I have read that many Muslims at Fort Hood knew of Hasan's extremist views and had all tried to talk sense into him. But these soldiers and the imam at the local mosque should have recognized they were not dealing with a sane person. You can't reason with the insane.”

“Thank you, Mr Pasha - your piece is very enlightening.

Can I ask if Richard and other Muslims at Fort Hood who knew of Hasan's disturbing statements had said anything to their superiors about it? And if they did, then why do you think the powers that be at the base didn't take some action and possibly prevent this tragedy?

If none of Hasan's fellow Muslim soldiers knew and said nothing, then they must be made to understand: when you're dealing with someone as obviously insane as Major Hasan, your silence can be deadly.

On that note, anyone who commits such a horrific crime is insane by default (the language I tend to use is: "there is something wrong with his/her brain"). How a man with such an extremist interpretation of the Holy Quran ended up as a psychiatric counsellor in the US military is puzzling.”

“What Charlie Crist has to do is keep it clean. Everybody except the far-right fringe is turned off the level of the discourse coming from the far right. Read their blogs and message boards. These people are barbarians. Florida is a purple state.

I say, let the right wingers vent their spleens. Because when they do - and that's all they do - they are vulgar and obscene and show the people they support to be unfit for public office.”

“Shannyn, read the most delicious article in the North Country press. It described the atmosphere in the ballroom where Hoffman was due to make his acceptance speech.

Fox News had a live feed so that Sean Hannity could, by live satellite, join in the celebrations. Other national media was also camped out, eagerly awaiting the "historic moment" when the Crown Prince of the Tea Bag (sorry, Party) movement would be annointed.

Results came in fast, and as they did, people started leaving. High tech equipment was unplugged. Satellite feeds were unfed. Anti-choice supporters chose to make a silent exit. In the end, Hoffman conceded before fewer than 50 people, including what was left of the media contingent.

It was all a bit sad. OK, it was funny, too.”

“Doesn't really matter who stumps for a guy with approval ratings in the low 30s...low turnout among Dems didn't help, either.”

“Actually, the experts surmise that if Hoffman didn't run, Scozzafava would have won.”

“Marc Ambinder did a great piece, detailing all the campaign contributions to the candidates:

Club For Growth gave $1,022,040 to Hoffman
Hoffman put in $229,878 of his own money into the campaign (the guy's worth $12 million, apparently)
Owens (personal net worth of $750k, so they say) put in $373,836 of his own money
The NRCC spent $897,404, of which $731,466 was spent exclusively in opposition to Owens
The Service Employees International Union spent $391,342 in support of Owens
The AFSCME gave $199,850 to Owens
The Susan B. Anthony List poured $87,922 into the race for Hoffman
The National Republican Trust PAC sent $92,922 to Hoffman
The National Organization for Marriage gave him $50,864
NYSUT gave Owens $48,250
Life And Liberty PAC gave Hoffman $33,580
Campgin for Working Families and Eagle Forum PAC each gave Hoffman $25,000.”

“One of the best articles I've read...but then there aren't many out there! What is wrong with the MSM?

http://www.observer.com/2009/politics/how-bill-owens-spoiled-republican-narrative%20?utm_source=observer_politics&utm_medium=internal_links&utm_campaign=end_of_article”

“She's so influentual in NY-23 that Hoffman is already falsely accusing Democrats of "stealing the election" and slashing people's tires, etc.

He is desparate, and in a district which has been solidly red since 1853 - and Republicans have a 14 percentage point advantage (registered voters) over Democrats.”

“I, too, would like to see a multiplicity of third party candidates running for office - and going well. But it should be a given that the candidates are good and they offer practical solutions to the problems the people they hope to represent face in their everyday lives. From taxes to law and order; employment to government assistance when needed...t­o ensure growth while at the same time protecting our precious environment and making life better for as many as they can.

I don't care if a candidate is pro-choice or pro-life. That is a personal belief. But no politician should ever try to tell me what to believe, or to impinge on my most personal decisions.”

“Michael, you make an excellent point. I am all for breaking up the two party system. But I disagree with you on Scozzafava. She may have disagreed on abortion, gay marriage and card checks with the people she sought to represent in Congress, but she has the best grasp of the issues that face her constituents and how to address them of the three candidates. That is why she was chosen. She certainly wasn't chosen because she is pro-life and pro-gay marriage.

Chosen because as an assemblywoman she has shown she's got what it takes to do the job.

And from all accounts, Hoffman is a flat-out liar and a cad. Put his social views to one side for a moment. He was rejected by the GOP on the basis he has no credibility as a politician. Maybe as a pastor or church elder, but that's not what he's running for. How is forcing women to carry their unwanted pregnancies to full term going to generate jobs in central New York or help upstate farmers or make the Adirondacks more attractive to out-of-state visitors? How will speaking out against gay marriage provide the mostly rural district with better health facilities? How will imposing a flat fax help anybody who doesn't fall into the upper tax bracket - and looking at the demographics of the district - there aren't that many who do?”

“What I don't understand is why Sarah Palin didn't move to the 23rd District and run herself? She would be more qualified and knowledgeable than the guys she's backing!”

“By supporting Doug Hoffman? Are you kidding?

Do you know anything about any of the candidates in this race? Want to tell me about Doug Hoffman's position on the issues that affect the people of the 23rd, because I simply can't find any!

It's all well and good to say you're against political parties, but shouldn't you offer something other than "I'm not a politician" as an alternative? Like actual ideas about how to put people back to work, help the farmers, keep the military base which provides so much of the district's employment and - especially to help the sector which provides most of the district's employment - tourism?

All Doug Hoffman has to offer is "I am not a poltician", "I have never done anything of substance in my life" and "Glenn Beck is my mentor". Hell, the man doesn't even live in the district, doesn't know it and can't vote there. THAT is why the GOP rejected him as their candidate.”