naugiedoggie's Comments (32)

“You know that old comedy canard about "stop being on my side, you're not helping"? Sometimes, that is how I feel about leftists. You need more than the right politics, you need common sense. I know it's lacking on the other side of the aisle, but I don't live there.

Good government is ambiguous and fluid. When it comes down solely on one side of politics or the other, it inevitably becomes autocratic.

One point: of course, Obama is talking to governments. He is the representative of OUR gov't. He's not running for office in Egypt or Israel.

Thanks.

mp”

“Seems to me that the author has so completely missed the point of offering forgiveness that she's completely off in the desert.

Her whole fixation about forgiveness derives from a self-centered "me vs them" mentality. Forgiveness is not about you, the individual committing the act of forgiveness, it is about them, those who have wronged you in some way. Jesus said, "What does it matter if you love them that love you? Does not every sinner do the same?"

There is no "means test" for forgiveness. The very idea is repugnant. Forgiveness is the act whereby you dissolve the power of the pain given you by that other individual. And if nothing else, the author should ponder on the grace conveyed by the Lord, wherein she is forgiven. To quote Cathleen Falsani, "Justice is getting what you deserve. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. And grace is getting what you absolutely don't deserve."

Offering forgiveness is an extension of grace. If it was easy to do, it would be merely another act of the aimless sinner.

Thanks.

mp

Thanks.

mp”

“Well, I wasted a lot of time writing out some tips, only to find out that the comment overran the length limit. I'm not going to waste more time trying "edit" it down, so I'll restrict myself to one item. Annoying. Huff Post commenting system is pretty scrappy, I'm afraid. I forget how funky it is until the odd time like this, when I use it again.

So, here is my tip:

Use Quick Launch bar for software that you use often. Once you have more than 3 or 4 shortcuts on it, drag it toward the edge of the menu bar and it will fold up into a hidden popout menu. I have maybe a dozen or so shortcuts on the QL, with 3 or 4 showing. The rest pop out when I click the chevron that marks the overflow. If you put something on the QL bar and then find you aren't really using it, drag it off and delete it. You can drag the shortcuts around on the QL bar so that your most popular ones are showing. The QL bar can be a huge time saver, allowing you to get at your most popular applications -- well, "quickly."

Thanks.

mp”

“Hello,

Two things: First, any dietary regime maintains your weight or loses weight only if you are comfortable with it, to the point that you will maintain it. I know low-calorie dieting works because I've done it. Low carb works better. (In fact, people who used low-carb diets to lose weight have been shown in a recent study to keep the weight off longer than people in the low-cal group. This study was written up in Science News recently.)

Second, while it's correct that muscle weighs more than fat, the point of dieting is not to lose weight, it's to lose fat! Even though you may at first see weight gain or reduced loss as a result of exercise, in the long run you will lose the fat and the excess weight. In addition, muscle-building exercise burns calories and as you get into shape, your body burns calories more efficiently, so you need less to maintain yourself. For example, triathletes in training only consume between 2000 and 2500 calories per day. They are spending hours running, swimming and riding on perhaps one quarter more caloric intake than an ordinary individual who spends 20 minutes a day on their bowflex, three times a week.

Exercise is key.

Thanks.

mp”

“Or, perhaps we just recognized the best candidate and went with quality, rather than ooh/aaah over flash.

Now that Obama is looking as flaccid as an unwatered flower in summer, we face the real possibility of losing an election. Not because we don't support the Democratic candidate, but because the Democratic candidate has whinged and doubled back on every single promise he made during the primary campaign. The original Obama persona was about as real as the StaPuff marshmallow man. All the people who did not vote in the Dem primaries are now looking at him ... and they don't seem to like what they see.

Now, tell me again, WHY is that anybody's fault but the candidate's? It's Hillary Clinton's fault that Barack Obama can't hold a position against a 4 mph breeze?

Thanks.

mp”

“"That Clinton's top surrogates are now saying Obama's major task is to appease Bill Clinton - rather than, say, win the election - shows just how egomaniacal the Clintons really are."

Does every Clinton-hater have to use every public appearance of the Clintons as an excuse to pound the keyboard?

Please, Mr. Sirota, cite your source that Wolfson vetted his comments with either of the Clintons before publishing. What, you say you can't? Because you don't have one?

Why, I'm shocked ... shocked that you would make unsubstantiated claims and pass them off as facts.

Riiiiight.

Now that Barack Obama has turned out to be a flaccid and unconvincing candidate on the general campaign trail -- complete with a bizarre "vacation" trip to Hawaii when he should have been pounding the campaign streets -- why don't you spend more time pumping up the candidate you pimped so hard a few months ago? He needs some air, badly. He is looking more and more like a loser.

Thanks.

mp”

“Hmm, well the author is implying that he himself has been "beaned by an egg" of late, which naturally begs the question of why anyone would be throwing eggs at him.

Perhaps, it is his sympathy for the CEO rather than for the users of Micro$oft software. Or the targets of Micro$oft lawsuits.

Sorry, but of all the events in the corporate world that might rouse my ire, Steve Ballmer getting egged is really, really down the list. I don't think there is any legal act that Ballmer would find immoral, if its commission would drive up his stock value even by a single point. We are, after all, talking about the company that is trying to scuttle the One Laptop program; and that refused to allow third world countries to use its DOS for old computers without paying royalties to M$, even though DOS had been off the market for a decade.

Nope, I'd give the man an egg, myself.

Thanks.

mp”

“Notice the one item not on the list: workable ideas that will make life in America better.

A true media-driven candidate, "all hat and no cattle." But, who needs cattle when you are that good looking of a hat?

Thanks.

mp”

“I'm decidedly uninterested in the material aspects of Christmas. At Christmas and Birthday, I like to give my wife a fancy present that will be a pleasant surprise. And I give my kids one (usually fancy) present at Christmas and Birthday. The tree, the baubles ... I don't care. I like going to the early services at church and I think a lot about God's grace and how little I deserve it. And that leads me to think about "the Advocate" as Edward Taylor called him in his poetry. Full circle.

My wife, OTOH, loves putting up the tree, baubles and lights, inside and out. And, she isn't bothered by the fact I don't care -- it just means we don't get into "discussions" about the best way to do it. ;-) My only assigned task is to drag the tree out afterwards and pitch it off the bluff into the ravine behind our house. Suits me.

Thanks.

mp”

“Perhaps, they believe in something called "democracy." You know, a method of organization and government in which the people who make up the organization actually have a say in how it works? If you really perfer a more "top down" approach, in which the party leaders determine the candidate, all I can say is -- you're in the wrong party.

Thanks.

mp”

“A big problem for corp offices is that many office workers are internet beachcombers ... they pick up all kinds of trash and bring it home -- to the corp network -- while out surfing. Since I got my first "internets" account in 1994, the only times I have picked up a virus of any kind has been while plugged into a corporate network. And even with modern enterprise AV software, it can be extremely difficult to expunge one of these parasites, once loose in a network with hundreds or even thousands of computers.

Nonetheless, I'm on the side of more freedom rather than less. I think the impact on morale of being regarded as untrustworthy is greater than the relative IT benefits of surf restrictions. While I was in the cube farm, our corporate policy was simple: we hired you as adults, we expect you to act as adults. It seems to work.

Thanks.

mp”

“A classic example of setting up a straw man in order to knock him down. None of these supposed "arguments," if they really exist anywhere in HuffPost comments (I haven't seen them & I read quite a bit of it), have anything to do with the reality of the competition, which is on ISSUES.

Like almost all Obama-bots, and certainly all bots posting in the comments section, "Chip" is all about avoiding any discussion of issues. Yes, that is because Obama's positions on issues suck in almost every case when compared to Clinton's positions. He comes down to the right of the putative "centrist" candidate on healthcare, Iraq, finance, relations with Cuba. His issue whitepapers are full of air -- as someone once said, "hope is not a plan." A statement like "work to see that all children are vaccinated" is not a plan to get those vaccinations accomplished.

If you wanted to sort out the Clinton supporters from the Obama supporters, one way to do it would be to look at who wants to talk about issues, and who wants to talk about ... speeches. Who speaks in favor of their candidate and who talks trash about the other candidate? Pretty simple. Clinton supporter: issues. Obama supporter: air pollution.

So, here is my challenge, "Chip": rewrite this silly column and pick the top ten issue-related "myths" about Obama's positions and tell us why you think his positions are more progressive than Clinton's positions.

Thanks.

mp”

“A classic example of setting up a straw man in order to knock him down. None of these supposed "arguments," if they really exist anywhere in HuffPost comments (I haven't seen them & I read quite a bit of it), have anything to do with the reality of the competition, which is on ISSUES.

Like almost all Obama-bots, and certainly all bots posting in the comments section, "Chip" is all about avoiding any discussion of issues. Yes, that is because Obama's positions on issues suck in almost every case when compared to Clinton's positions. He comes down to the right of the putative "centrist" candidate on healthcare, Iraq, finance, relations with Cuba. His issue whitepapers are full of air -- as someone once said, "hope is not a plan." A statement like "work to see that all children are vaccinated" is not a plan to get those vaccinations accomplished.

If you wanted to sort out the Clinton supporters from the Obama supporters, one way to do it would be to look at who wants to talk about issues, and who wants to talk about ... speeches. Who speaks in favor of their candidate and who talks trash about the other candidate? Pretty simple. Clinton supporter: issues. Obama supporter: air pollution.

So, here is my challenge, "Chip": rewrite this silly column and pick the top ten issue-related "myths" about Obama's positions and tell us why you think his positions are more progressive than Clinton's positions.

Thanks.

mp”

“So this is "change you can believe in": the daughter is "fair game" for meanspirited personal attacks about shameful behavior of her father TEN YEARS AGO. And what is the point of this personal attack? To make the candidate whose mantra is "change you can believe it" look better?

I wish someone would explain to me how your contemptible personal attacks on the daughter who loves and believes in her mother are supposed to inspire me to regard your "change you can believe in" motto as anything other than a despicable, phony front for the same old attack politics of the Republican Party.

I'm waiting.

Thanks.

mp”

“So this is "change you can believe in": the daughter is "fair game" for meanspirited personal attacks about shameful behavior of her father TEN YEARS AGO. And what is the point of this personal attack? To make the candidate whose mantra is "change you can believe it" look better?

I wish someone would explain to me how your contemptible personal attacks on the daughter who loves and believes in her mother are supposed to inspire me to regard your "change you can believe in" motto as anything other than a despicable, phony front for the same old attack politics of the Republican Party.

I'm waiting.

Thanks.

mp”

“That he is for universal healthcare, when in fact, his plan will barely cut the uninsured by 50%.

That he wants to get us out of Iraq, but plans to keep fighting the war with private security companies like Blackwater.

That he is a true Christian, when buying a $1.6 million mansion meant more to him than meeting his obligations as a Christian.

That the Clinton campaign played "the race card," when, in fact, it was his own campaign that played the race card first and often.

That he was "not there" and disavowed Reverend Wright's "inflammatory" statements from the pulpit.

The fact that you don't know about any of these bloopers is not surprising. Membership in the Obama camp is predicated on ignoring issues. Once you start looking at issues and his position on issues, you realize that he is just another DLC centercrat -- only one whose public plans will do even less than Clinton's to solve our problems.

Thanks.

mp”

“That he is for universal healthcare, when in fact, his plan will barely cut the uninsured by 50%.

That he wants to get us out of Iraq, but plans to keep fighting the war with private security companies like Blackwater.

That he is a true Christian, when buying a $1.6 million mansion meant more to him than meeting his obligations as a Christian.

That the Clinton campaign played "the race card," when, in fact, it was his own campaign that played the race card first and often.

That he was "not there" and disavowed Reverend Wright's "inflammatory" statements from the pulpit.

The fact that you don't know about any of these bloopers is not surprising. Membership in the Obama camp is predicated on ignoring issues. Once you start looking at issues and his position on issues, you realize that he is just another DLC centercrat -- only one whose public plans will do even less than Clinton's to solve our problems.

Thanks.

mp”

“Is there any sign that Obama-bots will support Hillary Clinton if she wins the nomination? NO, in fact, just the opposite is true. They have repeatedly, publicly declared that under no circumstances will they vote for Clinton. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES. That's pretty decisive. So, Obama-bots would rather see McCain in the White House than Clinton. They'll either vote for him or they won't vote, thereby throwing the election to him.

Hmm ... or are they all lying?

Thanks.

mp”

“Is there any sign that Obama-bots will support Hillary Clinton if she wins the nomination? NO, in fact, just the opposite is true. They have repeatedly, publicly declared that under no circumstances will they vote for Clinton. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES. That's pretty decisive. So, Obama-bots would rather see McCain in the White House than Clinton. They'll either vote for him or they won't vote, thereby throwing the election to him.

Hmm ... or are they all lying?

Thanks.

mp”

“On the grounds that Obama is the weakest of the candidates on issues. He is basically a weathervane -- "whichever way the wind blows, that's alright with me." He has no legislative record to run on and no positions that he hasn't backtracked on ("I'm against healthcare mandates unless I'm for them"; "I'm against the war in Iraq but I'm for fighting it with private security companies"). He's an ideological zero, running to the right of Clinton on every major issue.

If it were possible for you to get your wish, and force Clinton to "retire" from the campaign, it would prove that Obama is incapable of beating her in a standup fight. If he can't win the nomination outright, why would anyone think he was the best candidate in the election campaign in the Fall? The voters outside the Democratic Party corridors are going to be saying, "Hell, he couldn't even win the nomination, they had to use backroom politics to force out the other candidates in order to give it to him."

So much for the candidate for "change you can believe in."

Thanks.

mp”

“On the grounds that Obama is the weakest of the candidates on issues. He is basically a weathervane -- "whichever way the wind blows, that's alright with me." He has no legislative record to run on and no positions that he hasn't backtracked on ("I'm against healthcare mandates unless I'm for them"; "I'm against the war in Iraq but I'm for fighting it with private security companies"). He's an ideological zero, running to the right of Clinton on every major issue.

If it were possible for you to get your wish, and force Clinton to "retire" from the campaign, it would prove that Obama is incapable of beating her in a standup fight. If he can't win the nomination outright, why would anyone think he was the best candidate in the election campaign in the Fall? The voters outside the Democratic Party corridors are going to be saying, "Hell, he couldn't even win the nomination, they had to use backroom politics to force out the other candidates in order to give it to him."

So much for the candidate for "change you can believe in."

Thanks.

mp”

“It's a fallacy that manual labor contributes significantly to overall health. Yes, you can burn off calories and that is not a bad thing. But you don't get organized and systematic muscle activity, the way you do with athletics or workouts at the gym. Most people who do manual labor for a significant portion of their lives end up with one or more of a variety of repetitive task injuries, such as back strains, neck and shoulder strains, hamstring or other leg injuries, carpal tunnel and so forth. I know from personal experience. I am just this week doing penance ... again ... for a lower-back strain acquired during my years as a warehouseman.

What usually happens is that your activity is restricted to the particulars of your job -- lumping out a truck means standing in one spot for hours, picking up boxes making a half-turn at the waist, placing the box on a pallet, (sometimes bending down, which puts you most at risk for back injury), then repeat ad nauseam and usually under orders to get it done as soon as possible. Landscaping means lifting and bending under load, and so forth.

These days, I get my exercise at the gym. I stay in shape and minimize the re-aggravation of old injuries.

Thanks.

mp”

“It's a fallacy that manual labor contributes significantly to overall health. Yes, you can burn off calories and that is not a bad thing. But you don't get organized and systematic muscle activity, the way you do with athletics or workouts at the gym. Most people who do manual labor for a significant portion of their lives end up with one or more of a variety of repetitive task injuries, such as back strains, neck and shoulder strains, hamstring or other leg injuries, carpal tunnel and so forth. I know from personal experience. I am just this week doing penance ... again ... for a lower-back strain acquired during my years as a warehouseman.

What usually happens is that your activity is restricted to the particulars of your job -- lumping out a truck means standing in one spot for hours, picking up boxes making a half-turn at the waist, placing the box on a pallet, (sometimes bending down, which puts you most at risk for back injury), then repeat ad nauseam and usually under orders to get it done as soon as possible. Landscaping means lifting and bending under load, and so forth.

These days, I get my exercise at the gym. I stay in shape and minimize the re-aggravation of old injuries.

Thanks.

mp”

“Are you volunteering? I do get a bit annoyed by being lectured by apartment termites and suburbanites with postage-stamp lawns and 2 12 -foot "trees" in their 1/10th acre lot.

I wouldn't mind raking leaves, either, if I could do it in an hour or two.

Like a lot of other "time savers," something like a leaf blower may worth what you are willing to give up for them. Like 32-40 man-hours of raking, accompanied by days of lower back pain afterward. I have too many things I *like* to do and not enough time in which to do them. There's nothing particularly romantic about 40-50 maples and plane trees dropping their leaves in your yard, year after year. They do look wonderful during the summer, though.

Oh yeah, and next year, for sure, I am buying a snow blower!

http://www.mistysplace.org/images/winter_2007.png

Thanks.

mp”

“Are you volunteering? I do get a bit annoyed by being lectured by apartment termites and suburbanites with postage-stamp lawns and 2 12 -foot "trees" in their 1/10th acre lot.

I wouldn't mind raking leaves, either, if I could do it in an hour or two.

Like a lot of other "time savers," something like a leaf blower may worth what you are willing to give up for them. Like 32-40 man-hours of raking, accompanied by days of lower back pain afterward. I have too many things I *like* to do and not enough time in which to do them. There's nothing particularly romantic about 40-50 maples and plane trees dropping their leaves in your yard, year after year. They do look wonderful during the summer, though.

Oh yeah, and next year, for sure, I am buying a snow blower!

http://www.mistysplace.org/images/winter_2007.png

Thanks.

mp”