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Sarah Palin Resigning as Alaska's Governor (VIDEO)
Commented Jul 03, 2009 at 16:36:43 in Politics
“i forgot about that racing biz . . . maybe obama has accepted sarah's challenge, and she's resigning in order to train full time”
Sarah Palin Resigning as Alaska's Governor (VIDEO)
Commented Jul 03, 2009 at 16:28:51 in Politics
“is it too early in the day for champagne?”
AfroLatina21 replied on Jul 03, 2009 at 19:58:08
“no definitely not....pass the champagne!!!!”
Sarah Palin Resigning as Alaska's Governor (VIDEO)
Commented Jul 03, 2009 at 16:18:49 in Politics
“a) there's a monster scandal about to break, or
b) someone has offered her big bucks to host a right wing rant show”
b) someone has offered her big bucks to host a right wing rant show”
russdwater replied on Jul 03, 2009 at 16:24:35
“yes a scandal for sure... she's having an affair with Obama”
SuiginTou7 replied on Jul 03, 2009 at 16:23:14
“a) Scandal, no doubt”
tatianalensky replied on Jul 03, 2009 at 16:22:44
“I ll go for a AND b. Murdoch was speaking today. That cant be a coincidence.”
redsongia replied on Jul 03, 2009 at 16:22:07
“c.) Willow is pregnant.”
Fixxin2 replied on Jul 03, 2009 at 16:21:13
“I vote scandal.”
Sarah Palin Resigning as Alaska's Governor (VIDEO)
Commented Jul 03, 2009 at 16:04:46 in Politics
“i can't wait to hear how this turns out to be obama's fault . . . may just test the limits of that crazy, right wing "logic"!”
NCRedhead replied on Jul 03, 2009 at 16:32:33
“Oh, that's easy...he made things so difficult for her state and then he would not race her either!”
Sarah Palin Resigning as Alaska's Governor (VIDEO)
Commented Jul 03, 2009 at 16:03:22 in Politics
“this sounds like a political death knell to me . . . even if there's no scandal behind it, who but a few dedicated, jesus/big hair freaks are gonna vote for a quitter?”
Don't Take the Bait
Commented Jun 24, 2009 at 19:07:09 in Politics
“as soon as the republicans stay out of our lives, we'll stay out of theirs”
ejbSF replied on Jun 24, 2009 at 19:25:41
“Hear hear.”
Future Shock
Commented Jun 04, 2009 at 00:06:28 in Living
“i am a vegetarian, but if there was a cow in my uterus, i would kill it”
alieninvader replied on Jun 04, 2009 at 00:10:34
“LOL!!!!!”
Affirmative Action Hit on Sotomayor Aimed to Send Message
Commented May 28, 2009 at 10:11:57 in Home
“it is fascinating to watch old white men, who have lived a lifetime of preferential treatment, come unglued over the possibility that being something other than white and male is an advantage
as a woman who grew up poor in the sixties and seventies, i had to learn to negotiate the dominant male world as well as the world of women, and the world of the underclass, as well as the world of the dominant, comfortable classes . . . this need to be multiculturally fluent often seemed to be a burden, until i found myself attending ivy league schools among those who were not so fluent . . . most dramatic were my years at yale law school, where my ability to see a problem from so many different angles proved to be a real advantage . . . and i realized that being "worldly" can mean so much more than just traveling to europe and eating in exotic restaurants
sonia sotomayor has experienced most of the places and pursuits of her successful, male peers, but she has also experienced so much more . . . is it inconceivable that she can offer the court a rich, new perspective?”
as a woman who grew up poor in the sixties and seventies, i had to learn to negotiate the dominant male world as well as the world of women, and the world of the underclass, as well as the world of the dominant, comfortable classes . . . this need to be multiculturally fluent often seemed to be a burden, until i found myself attending ivy league schools among those who were not so fluent . . . most dramatic were my years at yale law school, where my ability to see a problem from so many different angles proved to be a real advantage . . . and i realized that being "worldly" can mean so much more than just traveling to europe and eating in exotic restaurants
sonia sotomayor has experienced most of the places and pursuits of her successful, male peers, but she has also experienced so much more . . . is it inconceivable that she can offer the court a rich, new perspective?”
Land of the Safe and Home of the Cruel
Commented May 27, 2009 at 15:34:02 in Politics
“thank you, lemeritus . . . your passion and dedication to the discourse of ideas is invaluable and very much appreciated”
Land of the Safe and Home of the Cruel
Commented May 26, 2009 at 11:59:05 in Politics
“ah, the certainty of the politically apathetic! the rights abuses are happening to people who aren't like you, so you think that you are safe, and then one day, the government abuses your rights and you are surprised to learn that you have no recourse
when our principles are abandoned for some, they are abandoned for all”
when our principles are abandoned for some, they are abandoned for all”
meast36 replied on May 26, 2009 at 21:55:06
“The fact is, there is not one nationality, religion or creed that is not represented in America. White, Black, Arab, Jew, Persian, Somali, Afrikan, Chinese, Japanese, and on and on. As a minority, I know first hand how the law can be applied unequally. I also know that if I haven't done anything wrong then I have nothing to worry about. Do you think that Jose Padilla's name was randomly selected? Of course not. He consorted with known terrorists which led to his detainment, subsequent trial and incarceration. If the government were not allowed to tap the phones of suspected terrorists then Padilla would have been free to set off his dirty bom in a major city. The Patriot Act and FISA, which is supported by Obama, are programs which keep Americans safe. I'm still waiting for someone to give me the name of an INNOCENT American citizen that was detained due to the Patriot Act. There haven't been any. There are only those who believe that the government is drilling holes into our heads to control our thoughts and implanting GPS trackers under our skin. Do you really think the US Government is interested in your boring life mostlyharmless?”
Lemeritus replied on May 26, 2009 at 16:21:16
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart, mostlyharmless!”
Land of the Safe and Home of the Cruel
Commented May 26, 2009 at 11:49:44 in Politics
“you mean, if one doesn't want to "get picked up and held indefinitely", then don't BE ACCUSED of conspiring to kill thousands of american citizens or waging war against the united states
since our government, as you pointed out, continues to support the violation of our constitutional rights via the patriot act, the only real way to avoid "getting picked up and held indefinitely" is moving to a country that actually respects human rights”
since our government, as you pointed out, continues to support the violation of our constitutional rights via the patriot act, the only real way to avoid "getting picked up and held indefinitely" is moving to a country that actually respects human rights”
meast36 replied on May 26, 2009 at 21:42:22
“No I mean then don't DO IT. Jose Padilla was correctly accused and convicted. He was found guilty by a jury of his peers of conspiring to kill American citizens. Terrorist or not, if anybody in this country conspires to commit mass homicide then that is a crime. Jose Padilla was transferred to Federal prison after being held at an Army base. After his transfer he was tried in a US Federal court where evidence that overwhelmingly proved his guilt led to a conviction. He was convicted by a jury of his peers that found that he was guilty beyond a resonable doubt. Jose Padilla is exactly the kind of individual that the Patriot Act was designed for and the process worked flawlessly. If Jose Padilla is the only example that you can come up with, then your argument is obviously flawed. You say you are worried about protecting innocent American citizens from the evil Patriot Act yet you use a terrorist who was convicted in US civilian court by overwhelming evidence, who was caught precisly because of the Patriot Act as your example? Game, Set, Match”
Land of the Safe and Home of the Cruel
Commented May 26, 2009 at 11:22:30 in Politics
“perhaps what is being asked here is whether the rights of blue-eyed, blond-haired americans have been violated? sadly, for some people in this country, mr. padilla and the thousands of arab americans who have had their rights violated simply aren't compelling cases
for what it's worth, i have blond hair and blue eyes, and i had my phone tapped, presumably because i was an outspoken anti-war activist . . . it was degrading and frightening and oppressive . . . and, i might add, an appalling waste of this nation's intelligence resources”
for what it's worth, i have blond hair and blue eyes, and i had my phone tapped, presumably because i was an outspoken anti-war activist . . . it was degrading and frightening and oppressive . . . and, i might add, an appalling waste of this nation's intelligence resources”
pleadthe5th replied on May 26, 2009 at 17:25:50
“You have had your phone tapped? How do you know it was under the guise of the Patriot Act and not because you may have unknowingly (or knowingly) been speaking to someone who is a criminal. I think that the latter is more likely. In fact, police departments routinely get warrants for taps and you are about 1 million times more likely to get tapped by the police than the Feds. But, you never know, the government might have also drilled a hole into your head and inserted a chip so they can control your thoughts or inserted a micro chip under your skin to pinpoint your location. Don't flatter yourself.”
texanna replied on May 26, 2009 at 11:29:20
“You may have also had your home searched in a sneak and peak raid also authorized by the PATRIOT act. Of course, you wouldn't know that because the law says you don't have to be informed of the action. And, if evidence was gathered against you during such a raid, you wouldn't be shown the evidence and given a chance to rebut it. Wonder where it says that's OK in those documents that the Pres used as a backdrop for his big speech last week?”
Land of the Safe and Home of the Cruel
Commented May 26, 2009 at 09:19:06 in Politics
“president obama tipped this hand when, as a senator and presidential candidate, he voted for the current version of fisa, assuring us that the law would be administered and reviewed conscientiously when he became president . . . never mind that he was not yet guaranteed the presidency, never mind that we did not yet know who john mccain would pick to be a heartbeat away from administering that law, never mind that we did not yet know the fulls facts behind the telecoms' participation in domestic spying, and never mind that the people effecting fisa would still be those who had sat around giggling together over tapes of innocent americans' phone sex
president obama seems not only to think that he can "fudge" the constitution because he is an upright man but that his personal righteousness will reassure the rest of the world about our continued violations of international law . . . but there are no exceptions to the rule of law, and it is arrogant and short sighted of president obama to believe that tyrants and lesser men will not take advantage of this precedent . . . no good will ever come of violating our most sacred principles”
president obama seems not only to think that he can "fudge" the constitution because he is an upright man but that his personal righteousness will reassure the rest of the world about our continued violations of international law . . . but there are no exceptions to the rule of law, and it is arrogant and short sighted of president obama to believe that tyrants and lesser men will not take advantage of this precedent . . . no good will ever come of violating our most sacred principles”
Land of the Safe and Home of the Cruel
Commented May 26, 2009 at 08:29:04 in Politics
“let's not forget that our foreign policies were instrumental in creating a world where we must live in fear of wmd's and nukes . . . the united states is the only nation or organization that has used nukes against a civilian population, and the united states provided saddam hussein the very germs that we feared he had converted into wmd's
no matter how many of our own civil liberties we eviscerate, we will continue to face the dangers born of others' fear and resentment of our arrogant, invasive, and short-sighted foreign policies”
no matter how many of our own civil liberties we eviscerate, we will continue to face the dangers born of others' fear and resentment of our arrogant, invasive, and short-sighted foreign policies”
Mother of U.S. Marine Waterboarded by Our Military Hits Latest Torture Excuse -- and Cheney
Commented May 15, 2009 at 15:52:54 in Politics
“and i think 2 wrongs make a right!”
Mother of U.S. Marine Waterboarded by Our Military Hits Latest Torture Excuse -- and Cheney
Commented May 15, 2009 at 14:07:45 in Politics
“hence the quotes around "friendly" . . . i am merely trying to point out that, no matter how one views the sere school, our soldiers experience of its techniques has no bearing upon the rightness or wrongness of using those techniques upon an enemy . . . one may argue that subjecting our soldiers to known torture techniques is necessary, if terrifying, training, but when those techniques are applied to an enemy, they cannot be called anything but torture . . . there is no possibility that an enemy will see their "harsh interrogator" as trying to help or train them”
Mother of U.S. Marine Waterboarded by Our Military Hits Latest Torture Excuse -- and Cheney
Commented May 15, 2009 at 13:16:06 in Politics
“that sere school may be necessary to prepare our soldiers for the possibility of being tortured, and we call training, not torture, does not mean that its techniques are not torture when practiced upon our enemies”
Mother of U.S. Marine Waterboarded by Our Military Hits Latest Torture Excuse -- and Cheney
Commented May 15, 2009 at 13:09:52 in Politics
“so painful to read, and i thank this mother for bearing witness . . . i hope that her son heals and is able to move on from his experiences
however, even without evidence that some soldiers experience sere school as torture, this "defense" makes no sense . . . the sere program is designed to prepare our soldiers to be tortured . . . they are subjected to "harsh interrogation" procedures like waterboarding in a controlled, "friendly" environment to prepare them to withstand those "harsh interrogation" procedures at the hands of our enemies . . . when we subject our enemies to those "harsh interrogation" procedures, we are not doing so as a training exercise, and whatever our intentions may be, they experience those "harsh interrogation" procedures as torture . . . period”
however, even without evidence that some soldiers experience sere school as torture, this "defense" makes no sense . . . the sere program is designed to prepare our soldiers to be tortured . . . they are subjected to "harsh interrogation" procedures like waterboarding in a controlled, "friendly" environment to prepare them to withstand those "harsh interrogation" procedures at the hands of our enemies . . . when we subject our enemies to those "harsh interrogation" procedures, we are not doing so as a training exercise, and whatever our intentions may be, they experience those "harsh interrogation" procedures as torture . . . period”
Cardboardurinal replied on May 15, 2009 at 13:33:56
“Sometimes in training, it is difficult who is there because they want to help an individual or are sadists. They will often treat people, during training, as an enemy. You shouldn't base your analysis of this young Marine's experience on the idea that he was in a "friendly" environment.”
The Real Motive Behind the Cheney Family Torture Tour
Commented May 13, 2009 at 19:53:34 in Politics
“i suspect that georgie will end his days in paraguay, not argentina . . . bush owns a 100,000 acre ranch there”
The Real Motive Behind the Cheney Family Torture Tour
Commented May 13, 2009 at 19:47:18 in Politics
“cheney's preemptive self defense effort fascinates me . . . as far as i can tell, there is no real will, either in the white house or in congress, to prosecute him or his co-conspirators . . . if he were anyone but cheney, i'd wonder if he is suffering from a guilty conscience, but as it is, all i can figure is that there is some sort of information out there that is so damning that even congress won't be able to excuse or ignore it”
cheforacle replied on May 13, 2009 at 20:06:42
“Tonight on the News Hour Gwen Ifill asked Holder if he intended to prosecute people who sanctioned, ordered and committed torture. He said he would go where the law and the facts took him. Which is the only thing to do. Usually prosecutors do not telegraph what they are going to do. I see no reason why this would be any exception.”
Torture and the Problem of Constitutional Evil: The Way Forward
Commented Apr 23, 2009 at 11:08:39 in Politics
“arguments that the constitution allows unlimited executive authority and/or the use of torture in a time of crisis work only if one assumes that such extraordinary measures are taken for the good of the people, not for the personal gain of the perpetrators
the bush administration lied us into a war for oil in iraq and then used "enhanced interrogation" to try to obtain false evidence that there was link between iraq and al qaeda in order to justify that war retroactively
i suppose that richard nixon could have accused the dnc of planning to overthrow the government by violent means and then tortured some of its members into admitting it, thus justifying the watergate break-in . . . if only he'd had more creative lawyers and, of course, the corporate-owned media on his side”
the bush administration lied us into a war for oil in iraq and then used "enhanced interrogation" to try to obtain false evidence that there was link between iraq and al qaeda in order to justify that war retroactively
i suppose that richard nixon could have accused the dnc of planning to overthrow the government by violent means and then tortured some of its members into admitting it, thus justifying the watergate break-in . . . if only he'd had more creative lawyers and, of course, the corporate-owned media on his side”
hollybork replied on Apr 23, 2009 at 11:46:40
“Wow. Excellent points. Your last paragraph is brilliant. Thanks”
ASU Stiffs Obama, Claims Too Inexperienced For Honorary Degree
Commented Apr 09, 2009 at 22:33:39 in Politics
“how sad it is that people who purport to be educators are unable or unwilling to recognize a truly exceptional man. . . if i were the parent of an asu student, i'd be asking for my money back!”
Playing Dead: How to Survive Like the Hero in the Binghamton Massacre
Commented Apr 07, 2009 at 15:27:52 in Home
“why am i having to contemplate how to survive an attack by a gun-wielding madman?! are guns really so valuable to their owners that the rest of us should be forced to risk out lives every day, just by going to school or a nursing home or a community center?
we've realized the need to protect ourselves from the dangers of second-hand smoke through smoking restrictions . . . can't we protect ourselves from the second hand dangers of gun ownership (i.e. their owners opening fire on us)?”
we've realized the need to protect ourselves from the dangers of second-hand smoke through smoking restrictions . . . can't we protect ourselves from the second hand dangers of gun ownership (i.e. their owners opening fire on us)?”
Borborigny replied on Apr 07, 2009 at 15:50:19
“Why am I having to contemplate being stripped of my right to keep and bear arms because some criminal commits a crime?
If guns are so useless in protecting us from killers with guns, cops and soldiers would shoot spitballs instead.
Who would you call if someone was about to kill you? You'd call GUYS WITH GUNS! The only difference is that they'd take a while to get there -- you and any innocent bystanders would be on the scene as it happens. It's silly but true: "when seconds count, the cops are only minutes away."”
If guns are so useless in protecting us from killers with guns, cops and soldiers would shoot spitballs instead.
Who would you call if someone was about to kill you? You'd call GUYS WITH GUNS! The only difference is that they'd take a while to get there -- you and any innocent bystanders would be on the scene as it happens. It's silly but true: "when seconds count, the cops are only minutes away."”
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