ibivi's Comments (124)

“Ms Smiley are you saying that "exceptional talent" excuses Polanski's crime? In McKinnon's case his smarts and curiosity took into areas he shouldn't have gone. He also has a condition which probably effects his judgment. Polanski left America so he could escape any further punishment. Even if he made the greatest movies ever, since his violation of that girl it would not obsolve him of his crime. "Exceptional talent" has nothing to do with it.”

“Correction to earlier post: it should read "unresolved" not "unsolved"”

“Polanski bought his release with offers of large amounts of money. He can't bear to be in prison. This is not a victory for him. He still has to face the unsolved charge against him. He should be extradited to the US as soon as possible. Injustice? Hardly.”

“IrishKevin, I agree. FIFA, don't tell me about Fair Play and then allow this terrible outcome. It was a hand ball and two players were offside. Get the technology to review the plays if the field officials miss obvious violations. It is done in the US for the NFL and it addresses these issues quickly and fairly.”

“I don't believe that RM is clueless at all. You don't get to where he is by being stupid. He is clever as all get out. Maybe he is talking to his core audience so he dumbs it down. Their attitude all is we didn't do anything wrong no matter what the criticism. We just give the people what they want or what we think they should get. It is a very successful formula. Lies and manipulation-that should be their motto.”

“Yes, MrMike you are free to suffer in freedom. Do you have medical insurance? If you do, are lucky. I hope that you are in good health. But let's see what happens if you need serious medical care. The insurance company might suddenly decide that your illness isn't covered. You'll be free to scramble to get health insurance. But you won't qualify because of a pre-existing condition. Your government is interferring with your freedom to help you when you get sick. How dare they!”

“Truth is the operative word. Given the things that Dobbs says about immigrants I am not inclined to believe him. Plus I think this "incident" is being spun by CNN and Dobbs.”

“The big banks were arrogant and laughed at the government when they tried to tell them what to do. They took the money and thumbed their noses at the treasury folks. Loading up your financial positions with people from Goldman Sachs also sends the message that you aren't going to tamper with the status quo. So when the big-money boys announced they were going to give big bonuses as they had done in the past were we supposed to be surprised? So when they announced profits even though they took government money were we supposed to be surprised? All along the President said that they were too big to fail. That they had to be able to continue their function of lending money. So did the banks listen and do that? Not really. So now President Obama has to make public statements about how they're not behaving and doing what they are supposed to be doing. Do the banks care? I really don't think so because basically nothing bad is happening to them. They're still laughing. With his advisors coming from the other side of the fence are they going to recommend strict discipline? Probably not.”

“Well that is up to the police. They should know how to make decisions about what needs to be done. In smaller communities they aren't necessarily going to have the experience or background in how to deal with fake events. He took what he was told and acted accordingly. If someone tells you that their son is up in a floating balloon you go into rescue mode. Unfortunately, people these days have all kinds of motivation to lie and have no qualms about using their children to get what they want.”

“California and New York announced huge budget cuts to social welfare programs. New York has ongoing issues with child abuse. More children will be at risk because funding for monitoring them has been reduced. Shelters for battered women in California are being closed. There are serious consequences when social programs are eliminated. Rather than spending on wars America should look after its own first.”

“This story got blown out of proportion. I feel bad for the folks who had to mobilize to follow that stupid ufo balloon thingy. So now it appears that this got done for a show the family is involved in. So succkers, we all got rooked by this stunt. Shame on them and the tv coverage that fell for it. Cutting away from the President in New Orleans? Dopes.”

“Yes, it that were true, there would be an ultimate score settling. But there isn't. If there were an all-seeing and compassionate God, she/he wouldn't let the powerful abuse the meek. She/He would be kind and merciful. And there is a "death panel"-it is the absolute indifference of a system that consigns a large portion of Americans to suffer and die needlessly. Any form of government sharing like public option (also known as universal healthcare) is labelled "socialism". Now that is evil!”

“Lately???They've been doing it for a while.”

“Women wanted more than traditional roles. They wanted to be doctors, lawyers, CEOs, etc. They got those opportunities mostly but there was and still is alot of societal resistance. Mrs Obama was an executive before her husband ran for president and now she has assumed a fairly traditional First Lady role. Many women still rely on their husbands for financial security. Women are still paid less than men. Even if they have jobs, they still do most of the child rearing and maintenance of the home. The Equal Rights Amendment did not pass. Women were murdered in Montreal just because they were women. Very sobering.”

“Socialism is not a dirty word. It is a beneficial system for citizens who require an essential service. People shouldn't have to beg the rich for healthcare.”

“Why not? The system currently is heavily weighted to benefit the insurance companies. Their practices are inhumane and driven by greed. Healthcare should be a fundamental right of all citizens. The President's proposals fix many of the barriers that disadvantage users. These changes are long overdue. To me that is a "win".”

“I don't totally understand why the government wouldn't provide some healthcare to illegals given that they are so vital to almost all levels of the economy. They do jobs that nobody else wants. The rich hire them as nannies. They are gardeners. They do manual labour, etc, etc. Anyway, the issue is that health insurance should be available and affordable to those who need it. The insurance companies need to be regulated to stop their inhumane policies. That is what I believe President Obama wants to do and it is long over due. I watched his address yesterday and he announced many changes which are excellent. I was also totally shocked that he was heckled. Unbelievable! The level of disrespect being shown a president is unprecedented. It is a shame to see.”

“Jorge, you reminded me about the totally overblown Rev Wright hysteria, and Obama's inviting Rick Warren to the Inaguaration who gave a totally bland prayer in that phony tone. My favourite was Minister Joseph Lowery and his wonderful rueful rhyme which was criticized afterward. So the message I got was that you can be black but not too black. The thought of Beck anywhere near the White House makes my skin crawl.”

“Obama needs to protect his people. This is so wrong. He needs people who are committed to a cause. He can't just get let good activist to be hounded out by a smear campaign by Beck. These are dirty tricks and if Obama accepts this pressure the enemy will win. Be strong Mr President!”

“Very well put. So I guess this shows us that many Americans are not progressives really. I was hoping that with the election of Barack Obama we were going to see a kinder, gentler nation. But right wing is going totally loony and alot of people are buying it. Most sad.”

“Fascism is on the rise again in Europe. The right-wing is resurgent. Violence against visible minorities, suppression of language rights, intolerance of immigrants, etc, are all happening throughout Europe and the UK. Some of this is economic but there are disturbing signs of just basic nationalistic exclusion of others.”

“We can't shut these people out of our minds. We need to study them and understand how they were able to accomplish what they wanted. They had secret agendas, they treated the population with contempt, they exercised absolute control, etc. We have to look at them unflinchingly no matter how uncomfortable or unpleasant.”

“What bothers me the most about Obama is that he still talks about working with the other side or bipartisanship. When he became president he didn't deal with Lieberman, he didn't deal with Burris, and he didn't get rid of all of Bush's people. He needed to send a clear message that he was in charge and that he wouldn't tolerate any challenge to his authority. That is what I wanted to see. His election was a wonderful, joyous event. He needs to stop being a professor. I totally agree that if he buckles under on this issue will be toast.”

“In Canada the insurance companies provide coverage for the benefits that the government healthcare program doesn't cover-extended benefits like short-term disability, long-term disability, drug and dental plans, vision care, medical devices, etc. Unionized workers negotiate their benefits with employers. Most employers provide paid healthcare to their employees. Insurance companies make money as an adjunct to universal healthcare.”

“Having power is their goal along with denying help for those less fortunate than themselves. They are also trying to destroy Obama's presidency just as they did with Clinton. The ugliness across the nation is so extreme that I am concerned about the President's safety.”