Looplinker

America is the Land of the Free. And we are free to be dumb. What goes for news on our networks and cable is pathetic. CBS, NBC, and ABC news are basically devoted to human interest stories and other rubbish. If you want news you better go to BBC news online (although they have their own biases) they still do report what is going on around the world. posted 07/12/2008 at 16:00:46

Given the lack of any serious onground intelligence in Iran and given how useless our intelligence is about the region in general, I would not be surprised to see the Iranians test a nuclear weapon before the November election. Relying on the NIE based on their previous record is not at all reassuring.

When Iran goes nuclear then oil will certainly hit $300 a barrel. They have us over a barrel now just wait and see how they have us when that happens. posted 07/10/2008 at 15:33:07

Well if I had Gramm's resources I may think its all in my head. Guess the Bush stimulus package really has had a tremendous effect on the economy - sliding all the way down. Anyone see any of the good old trickle down promised by the backers of Regeanomics? The first Bush had it right...voodo economics.

Anyhow the oil lobby and OPEC have finally gotten us over the proverbial barrel. The only one in the USA who is doing something about is Boone Pickens. I applaud him for taking some action while our useless Congress over the past 30 years have done nothing to secure our energy independence.

We were told 30 years ago that we had almost unlimited reserves of oil in the oil shales in Colorado. Has anyone heard anything about that recently? Just the same old bull S#@t over and over. General Motors had an electric car that people wanted but because of their selfish self-interest they killed it. IN a way I am not too sorry about what is happening to GM right now. But if they thought about the country first maybe we would be driving hybrids and electric cars by now. posted 07/10/2008 at 15:44:35

Hehehe....the Vatican must really be walking on thin ice if they fear a movie.
Well it is a strange world when most of humanity is caught up in primitive belief systems whose original participants did not know sh.. from sh...

Long Live Zeus and His begotten son Apollo. posted 06/17/2008 at 19:18:16

Unfortunately, many posting here have never heard of Eric Severeid. Severied was a commentator for CBS news. While I did not always agree with his commentaries, one had to respect the man for his intellect. The current ones on Fox, CNN, MSNBC, NBC and ABC cannot even come close. Russett, O'reilly, Matthews, Olbermann, Hanity are just loud mouthed entertainers with very limited intellects.

Of course, Severeid belonged to a generation when we truly had an independent media. posted 06/09/2008 at 11:49:03

Right On....the media has become a circus where every reporter feels entitled to provide his own spin about what the news means. I do not need anyone with mediocre intelligence telling me what is his or her interpretation of the news. If Brokaw has just discovered this fact he has been one of its enablers.

Let's face it, the media is owned by corporations so that the corporations dictate the messages that are put out by their loyal employees. The most laughable extremes are the Fox News Network - where the political point of view is unabashedly conservative and where liberal bashing has reached a new threshold and MSNBC where Matthews and Olbermann spin the liberal line and bash the conservatives. Maybe by watching both you get a balanced view of the two unbalanced sides.

We are essentially at the end of a free press. What we have is newstainment. The one good thing is that we now have the Internet where opposing views can be discussed and debated rationally and irrationally. posted 06/09/2008 at 11:32:13

Exactly right. Every election cycle we hear the great rhetoric that we have to be independent of imported oil and nothing of real consequences gets done. Drilling for more oil just delays the ultimate reality and that is that fossil fuel is a finite resource and that it will run out eventually. Surely windmill and solar panel farms in our desert regions could supply huge amounts of energy but the politicians can't get their finger out.

So meanwhile we will be forced to drive less, keep our houses cooler in winter and wish for the good old days. The people should be protesting in the streets and demanding that a Manhattan like project be in place that will ensure our energy independence from foreign sources in 5 years. Only in this way can we truely be free of the energy trap. posted 06/06/2008 at 14:21:35

The left is trying to gloss over serious flaws in Obama"s character and judgment brought to light by the media. On the one hand we see the power of Obama"s words trying to convince us that he is a uniter. Then we find out about his deeds. For 20 years he sought spiritual guidance from Reverend Wright who turns out to be less of a holy man and more of a racist demagogue. Given that Obama sought this church and this pastor for his moral and spiritual compass, his judgment on this account is pertinent about his understanding of what is true and what is false. For 20 years Obama sat in comfort in this congregation while the pastor ranted far left views and his congregants showed their approval of Wright"s anti-white, anti-European and anti-Jewish sentiments. He was also comfortable with the church honoring the racist Farrakhan and only when asked about it publicly did he have to disavow it. This amounts to giving Hitler a pass because of the good things he did for Germany before 1938.

Obama knows the power of words. He knew of the sentiments and world view of his pastor. Somehow none of this bothers him since he allows his daughters to go to that church and to be indoctrinated there.

His unwillingness to publicly confront his pastor shows that he is unfit to run for president. posted 03/28/2008 at 11:00:21

LOL that is always a convenient one for the anti-Semites,...we are not against Jews just Israel..so let us demonioze Israel.

Your statement shows that you really know very little about the history of the conflict. Go and educate yourself and see what the Arabs were doing before 1967. posted 03/28/2008 at 10:57:55

The left is trying to gloss over serious flaws in Obama"s character and judgment brought to light by the media. On the one hand we see the power of Obama"s words trying to convince us that he is a uniter. Then we find out about his deeds. For 20 years he sought spiritual guidance from Reverend Wright who turns out to be less of a holy man and more of a racist demagogue. Given that Obama sought this church and this pastor for his moral and spiritual compass, his judgment on this account is pertinent about his understanding of what is true and what is false. For 20 years Obama sat in comfort in this congregation while the pastor ranted far left views and his congregants showed their approval of Wright"s anti-white, anti-European and anti-Jewish sentiments. He was also comfortable with the church honoring the racist Farrakhan and only when asked about it publicly did he have to disavow it. This amounts to giving Hitler a pass because of the good things he did for Germany before 1938.

Obama knows the power of words. He knew of the sentiments and world view of his pastor. Somehow none of this bothers him since he allows his daughters to go to that church and to be indoctrinated there.

His unwillingness to publicly confront his pastor shows that he is unfit to run for president. posted 03/28/2008 at 10:24:46

Obama sought the pastor for his spiritual leader and got his moral compass from his pastor. For 20 years he sat comfortably in that church with his wife and more recently with his daughters and had no problem with the racist doctrine of reverend Wright.

Many on the left say that Obama is being found guilty by association. This is false. Obama is not guilty by association. He is guilty by choice " his choice to be associated with a church whose pastor spewed racism. He was comfortable to have his daughters indoctrinated by the pastor.

Never once did he publicly take his pastor to task for the inflammatory libels. It was only when the videos of the pastor"s rantings became public did Obama, for the sake of damage control, make his stirring speech about race in America. So what are we to make of Obama"s judgment over the past 20 years and in the weeks since this controversy hit the air-waves? His blanket disavowal is not enough. He should have condemned his pastor for the falsehoods being propagated by his church.

Obama is an intelligent and articulate person. However, he has shown poor judgment in picking his spiritual advisor. He is unfit to be President.

It is worrying to see Wright"s parishioners dancing with approval to Wright"s inflammatory rantings. It shows how easily the young can be led astray by a demagogue pretending to be a holy man. posted 03/27/2008 at 15:12:45

Obama sought the pastor for his spiritual leader and got his moral compass from his pastor. For 20 years he sat comfortably in that church with his wife and more recently with his daughters and had no problem with the racist doctrine of reverend Wright.

Many on the left say that Obama is being found guilty by association. This is false. Obama is not guilty by association. He is guilty by choice " his choice to be associated with a church whose pastor spewed racism. He was comfortable to have his daughters indoctrinated by the pastor.

Never once did he publicly take his pastor to task for the inflammatory libels. It was only when the videos of the pastor"s rantings became public did Obama, for the sake of damage control, make his stirring speech about race in America. So what are we to make of Obama"s judgment over the past 20 years and in the weeks since this controversy hit the air-waves? His blanket disavowal is not enough. He should have condemned his pastor for the falsehoods being propagated by his church.

Obama is an intelligent and articulate person. However, he has shown poor judgment in picking his spiritual advisor. He is unfit to be President.

It is worrying to see Wright"s parishioners dancing with approval to Wright"s inflammatory rantings. It shows how easily the young can be led astray by a demagogue pretending to be a holy man. posted 03/27/2008 at 15:14:53

LOL there is no hell and there is no heaven..20 years of being advised by his pastor does not mean a thing? Obama chose to remain associated with a racist organization whose parishoners dance in approval of the pastor's racist rantings. Not a pleasant sight. I think Wright owes his parishoners and the rest of us an apolgy. He sure is no Martin Luther King. posted 03/27/2008 at 10:36:51

The Obama Wright fiasco is not over. I am sure when the press does its work there will be a lot more about the reverand's far far left views.

It is interesting that Obama claims that the issue of his spiritual mentor, the reverend Jeremiah Wright, is a distraction. I am sure for Obama it is a distraction but for some of us it raises questions about Obama"s character and judgment and of his fitness to be President.

Obama seeks to assure us that the videos of Wright calling on God to damn America and that the government was responsible for AIDS to kill Afro-Americans do not detract from all the good that Wright and his church has done for his congregation and community. Perhaps this helps to explain why Wright and his church saw fit to honor the racist bigot Farrakhan. This type of logic and judgment could also be used for honoring Hitler since he did improve the standard of living of the German people. Clearly, Wright"s and Farrakhan"s world views are similar.

It is one thing for Obama to now disclaim the racist utterings of his spiritual advisor by a blanket disavowal. But to claim he had no knowledge of Wright"s views would be to argue that a regular attendee at KKK rallies had no clue about the views of that organization. After all Obama attended the church for 20 years and saw fit to let his daughters be indoctrinated by the reverend. posted 03/27/2008 at 10:30:52

I DON'T THINK SO....Obama owes his supporters an apology for not parting ways with his racist pastor of 20 years. Apparently he did not think that the pastor's words were egregious enough. The fact that Obama and his wife were comfortable in a church where the rhetoric was so far to the left of the far left and in a church where a bigot like Farrakhan was honored is sufficient to disqualify him for even seeking the presidency. Obama in his speech never confronted the libel that his spirtual mentor was espousing that AIDS was created by the government to kill Afro-Americans. If this is the type of thing that is being preached in black churches then we are in for a frightening future.

Obama's rhetoric and his actions do not jive. His actions and those of his wife fit a pattern that is directly in accord with those of his spiritual mentor. posted 03/26/2008 at 16:09:41

Chelsea gave the appropriate answer. In fact she showed more sense than her father did when asked whether he wore boxer or jockey underwear from some stupid teenager on MTV. Bill Clinton was stupid enough to answer that question instead of chastising the teenager for asking such an irrelevant question. posted 03/26/2008 at 16:17:34

NO WAY....had Obama's coziness for 20 years with the racist pastor been known at the time of the Iowa caucaus I doubt very much that he would have won Iowa. Let the game play out and see whether there is significant fallout from his association with the racist pastor who supports the other racist bigot Farrakhan. I would not vote for a man who has little problem with the racist rantings of his spiritual mentor. Note that Obama did not say anything about the pastor's claim that the Government produced the AIDS virus to kill African-Americans. He should have condemned that libel publicly. For if that is what black America is being told in their churches, these so called black men of the cloth are laying the ground work for even worse race relations. Obama's rhetoric does not jive with his actions. posted 03/26/2008 at 16:00:09

Really now???? Obama's comfort zone in a church that libels our government for AIDS and honors the racist bigot Farrakhan is not what I would call his election as a turn from darkness to light. Even today he will not break from his racist spiritual mentor. Wow he is too scared to aleniate his black base to do that. Well once I was an Obama supporter but not now. This man supports the positions not of the far left but of the far left looney fringe. By not taking on the AIDS libel Obama shows that he has no guts. posted 03/26/2008 at 20:53:53

The problem is that Obama has great rhetoric but he actually is very close to the fringe of the far left. For 20 years he has been comfortable listening to far left drivel from his spiritual mentor " not just anyone. Comfortable with the views of his pastor about the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, of the USA government developing AIDS to wipe-out African-Americans, of state- sponsored terror against the Palestinians. The world is not as simple as the simple minded pastor would like to believe.

Obama"s "great" speech on race relations also showed that, in his view, it is all right to forgive the racist"s spewing of his pastor because his church does so much good. This is akin to giving Hitler a pass for the great good he did for the Germans prior to World War II. It also helps explain why his church would honor the racist Farrakhan.

There is an intellectual dishonesty to give Obama a free pass on this issue. If he cannot stand up publicly to confront his pastor (spiritual mentor) on these racist view, he is not deserving of the democrat nomination for President. Not all things are a shade of gray. Only because the pastor Wright"s videos made it into the public arena did Obama have to respond. How convenient. How politically correct. posted 03/25/2008 at 14:32:29

As far as I know McCain did not attend Hagee's congregation for 20 years. But perhaps you know more. posted 03/25/2008 at 14:37:33

And I see in Obama a politician who for 20 years was comfortable with the rabid Anti-American message of his spiritual leader.

His speech in Philadelphia was a way of deflecting this. There would not have been any speech had it not been for the expose of Wright's inflammatory rhetoric.

For some time I thought that Obama may be the real thing. But now one can see the pattern that underlies this man. He does not hold his hand over his heart when the pledge of allegiance or the anthem is played. Hmmmmmmmmmmm loves this country???

His wife states that in her adult life this is the first time she is proud to be an American...Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm Loves this country??

It appears that Barak and Michelle have learnt well the teachings of their spiritual mentor.

The fact that many African-Americans believe this claim that AIDS was developed as a means of killing them is a product of the poison coming from some black churches. Obama did not even talk about this in his speech. The reverand Jeremiah Wright is as different to the Reverand Martin Luther King as night is to day.
posted 03/22/2008 at 11:39:57

If the country had been familiar with the statements of his spiritual mentor, I doubt that Obama would have any delegate lead at all. Obama is a man who says he loves his country but the reality shows that for 20 years he never once publicly or privately had an issue with Wright's racism and anti-Americanism. In the integrity and moral issues Obama fails.

The speech would never had been given if Wright's sermons were not brought to light.

Obama's rhetoric does not jive with his actions over the past 20 years. posted 03/22/2008 at 11:23:31

Bill Clinton has a valid point. It is one thing for Obama to say he loves this country but that is not consistent with the fact that he sat every Sunday for 20 years in a church where his spiritual mentor spewed anti-American rhetroric, blamed the government for AIDS as a means of wiping out African-Americans and heaped praise on another racial bigot (Farrakan) and never once in all that time publicly indicate that he had any problem with such views.

His "great" speech explained nothing. Had Wright's sermons not been shown on TV and on the internet, there would have not been any speech.

Obama's rhetoric does not jive with his actions over the past 20 years where he found comfort in the anti-American messages and racial bigitory. posted 03/22/2008 at 11:13:26

Exactly..whether the two festivals are the same is not the point...the kids dress up in costume and in this very fact the two are similar...ignoramus. posted 03/21/2008 at 16:19:53

The fact that like most Americans Obama believes in superstitous nonsense is beside the point Sam. Many good people are religous and many religous people are not good. There are reasons now to question the veracity of Obama's rhetoric and his actions.

For awhile I was in a comfort zone about Obama but not anymore.

Whether Obama is right about Iraq is not the point anymore. The point is that for 20 years he has been comfortable in a church whose pastor preached a racist message. This message has apparently had an effect on his persona as displayed in his not placing his hand over his heart when the pledge of allegiance or the anthem are played, and in his wife"s statement that the first time in her adult life she felt proud to be an American was when her husband became a candidate for the presidency.

Not once in the 20 years did Obama publicly take issue with Wright"s racist views. Only when the Wright tapes were exposed did Obama denounce Wright"s statements. How convenient and how politically correct of him.
posted 03/21/2008 at 16:31:59

For awhile I was in a comfort zone about Obama but not anymore.

Whether Obama is right about Iraq is not the point anymore. The point is that for 20 years he has been comfortable in a church whose pastor preached a racist message. This message has apparently had an effect on his persona as displayed in his not placing his hand over his heart when the pledge of allegiance or the anthem are played, and in his wife"s statement that the first time in her adult life she felt proud to be an American was when her husband became a candidate for the presidency.

Not once in the 20 years did Obama publicly take issue with Wright"s racist views. Only when the Wright tapes were exposed did Obama denounce Wright"s statements. How convenient and how politically correct of him.
posted 03/22/2008 at 10:56:27

From a comfort zone to a discomfort zone.

For awhile I was in a comfort zone about Obama but not anymore.

Whether Obama is right about Iraq is not the point anymore. The point is that for 20 years he has been comfortable in a church whose pastor preached a racist message. This message has apparently had an effect on his persona as displayed in his not placing his hand over his heart when the pledge of allegiance or the anthem are played, and in his wife"s statement that the first time in her adult life she felt proud to be an American was when her husband became a candidate for the presidency.

Not once in the 20 years did Obama publicly take issue with Wright"s racist views. Only when the Wright tapes were exposed did Obama denounce Wright"s statements. How convenient and how politically correct of him.
posted 03/21/2008 at 16:22:17

From a comfort zone to a discomfort zone.

For awhile I was in a comfort zone about Obama but not anymore.

Whether Obama is right about Iraq is not the point anymore. The point is that for 20 years he has been comfortable in a church whose pastor preached a racist message. This message has apparently had an effect on his persona as displayed in his not placing his hand over his heart when the pledge of allegiance or the anthem are played, and in his wife"s statement that the first time in her adult life she felt proud to be an American was when her husband became a candidate for the presidency.

Not once in the 20 years did Obama publicly take issue with Wright"s racist views. Only when the Wright tapes were exposed did Obama denounce Wright"s statements. How convenient and how politically correct of him.
posted 03/21/2008 at 16:27:16

From a comfort zone to a discomfort zone.

For awhile I was in a comfort zone about Obama but not anymore.

Whether Obama is right about Iraq is not the point anymore. The point is that for 20 years he has been comfortable in a church whose pastor preached a racist message. This message has apparently had an effect on his persona as displayed in his not placing his hand over his heart when the pledge of allegiance or the anthem are played, and in his wife"s statement that the first time in her adult life she felt proud to be an American was when her husband became a candidate for the presidency.

Not once in the 20 years did Obama publicly take issue with Wright"s racist views. Only when the Wright tapes were exposed did Obama denounce Wright"s statements. How convenient and how politically correct of him.
posted 03/21/2008 at 11:28:55

I resent your use of the term crucifiction. No one is going to get a cross and nail Obama to it.

Obama fails to understand why some of us who supported him before now have a real problem with him. If Obama falls it is because it has been brought to our attention that for 20 years he has been in a nice comfort zone in a congregation where his spiritual leader bashes America and unashamedly blames the Government for producing the AIDS virus to wipe out African-Americans among other things. Jeremiah Wright is the farthest thing I would want to be near as a spiritual leader.

Unlike Martin Luther King who talked of reconciliation, Wright spews hatred and racism and for 20 years Obama remained silent. Only now after Wright's sermons have been exposed, does Obama try to distance himself from his pastor. How convenient, how politically correct.

posted 03/21/2008 at 16:47:45