Gotta give Bush credit: He made the exact right move at the exact right time. Ditching Rumsfeld, the single most visible symbol of the Iraq debacle short of Bush himself, was perfectly timed. Had he dumped Rummy shortly before the election, it would have been seen as a desperation move. I suppose there’s a possibility that it might have changed the outcome, which has been seen as a voter repudiation of the war. But I don’t think it’s a sizable chance, and probably would have been seen as a case of “too little, too late.” In this instance, though, it managed to grab headlines from the Democratic triumph back to the White House. Bush has snared the spin cycle before the election dust has settled. He did the right thing in getting rid of an advisor who has given him nothing but bad advice and been a PR catastrophe on more than one occasion, and he did it at a time when his support base is at an all-time moral low. He has sent a definite message: He’s not going to be spending the next two years with more of the same and staying the course, steering the remainder of his presidency into irrelevancy.
With a smartening-up Bush and a newly energized Democratic majority, let’s see if the government finally gets on the right track.
PAD
• 
1
On the other hand, those tax cuts were funded by massive borrowing and deficit spending (which, contrary to popular belief, are not synonymous). The federal debt is a drain on the overall economy. It eats up productivity in two ways: it puts the federal government in the position of competing with the private sector for capital, thus raising the cost of raising capital; and the interest on the debt is an expense that must be paid for levying… taxes.
Bill, I am going to have to disagree with you here on why we are running deficits. I know this is counter intuitive but in the long run tax cuts cause an increase in tax revenue. Our government’s current fiscal trouble (both debt and deficit spending) are not a result of the tax cuts, but the result of a spend happy government(which is why I am pìššëd at republicans.) The Bush Tax cuts, which were phased in over three years, 2001-2003 have, as of the 2005 budget caused an increase in revenue. According to the CBO, total tax revenue for the year 2000 was $2,025.5 billion, while 2005 tax revenue was $2,153.9 billion. The problem is in the dramatic increase in spending, 2000 spending $1,789.2 billion, 2005 spending a whopping $2,472.2 billion. If we balance the budget the debt issue goes away. In fact as a percent of GDP our debt, while still the highest it has been since 2000, is lower then every year between 1985 and 2000. (also CBO figures) http://www.cbo.gov/budget/historical.pdf
Deficit spending cannot go on indefinitely, because it is, by definition, spending more than one takes in. Paying off that debt will require raising taxes. Generally, when taxes are raised, the middle class bears the heaviest burden. The poor don’t make enough money to tax, and the rich have great influence in Washington and also have at their disposal tax shelters that aren’t available to the middle class.
As for tax burden, I would have to argue that the burden of taxes does not fall on the middle class. Although it feels like it does. The top 1% paid ~34% of the taxes in 2003 and the top 50% of wage earners paid ~96% of all income taxes in 2003 you can get the numbers to do the math at the us house of representatives http://www.house.gov/jec/publications/109/2003taxshares.pdf
John
Bill Mulligan,
It was indeed a typo. What I had meant to type “retain the House” but only did on-the-fly proofing.
[Boring Technical Explanation of Typo]Before correction I had written “retaint he House” and thought I had left the “t” off the word “the” instead of putting the space in the wrong place. So I simply added it in.[/BTEoT]
I didn’t even realize how my typo could be interpreted until it was pointed out. I wish I was that funny when I was trying to be.
I just wanted to say that I didn’t realize it was PAD himself who made the most recent remark about wanting to see Stephen Colbert’s reaction to the outcome of the election. I know Peter realizes that Stephen Colbert the actor/comedian is playing the part of “Stephen Colbert,” right-wing demagogue. I only brought it up because I’ve seen other posts here and elsewhere from people who didn’t seem to get it.
That’s what I get for not scrolling back to double-check the “Posted by” line. Sorry for the confusion.
Paul
Micha, the problem with embryonic stem cells is also what makes them so potentially powerful–they can literally become any possible type of cell.
Consider a fertilized egg thathas only a dozen cells- any of theose dozen cells may be the one that gives rise to any organ of the body. That potential is amazing.
But…it also means that simply dropping it on, say, someone’s brain has the potential of the cell giving rise to something not at all brain-like. Doc Conner may want a new arm but not growing out of his head.
The hope is that the brain cells would somehow send signals to the implanted embryonic cells to force them into that direction. Good enough but keep in mind that this is NOT how they work–whatever it is taht causes stem cells to committ to theair eventual path, it doesn’t come form adult cells but, rather, from signals that are within it’s brother stem cells (or so it seems This is one of the big mysteries of science and a very exciting field.)
You might get good results dropping embryonic stem cells onto an embryo but an adult? I don’t expect much. (Note–if we trick the cells into comitting before implantation, well, now we have something better. How we artificailly do something when we don’t understnd how it’s does naturally is a very tough question.)
Adult stem cells–and lots of people don’t know that there even ARE adult stem cells–are used to working with the complex system of the adult body and therfore, to my thinking, have a far far greater potential for succcess.
Anyway, that’s how I see it. Obviously a lot of scientists must see it differently given the desire to work with embryonic stem cells.
Paul,
I don’t think anyone has ever failed to “get it” about Colbert. Every time I’ve seen someone say, “you know he’s faking, right?” it’s always been in response to someone who was just playing along with Colbert’s joke. Don’t worry about it, people get it.
Oh and on the upcoming rampaging monster front–new headline on Drudgereport: Smoggy skies ‘created life on Earth
When Hedorah is smashing through downtown LA you’ll all be screaming “Bill was right! We should have listened!” For all the good it’ll do you then.
As exciting as this week was, the real story is coming up.
Nancy Pelosi has been demonized by many Republicans as being out of her league and a lightweight. She has the chance to both proven them wrong and, more importantly, do the right thing. Champion people for chairmanships that are the right people for the job, not doddering seniority cases or people whose constutuants have not allowed their manifest stupidity stop them from getting relected.
TPM Muckraker http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001981.php
Has a good article on its “favorite” Democrats. If any of these folks get in it’s gonna be two years of “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss” all over again.
Rep. Alan Mollohan–under FBI investigation. set to take the chair of the panel that got him in trouble.
Rep. John Murtha–been caught on tape by the FBI explaining how he works scams
Rep. Alcee Hastings– Impeached by virtually the entire congress…including Pelosi.
Rep. Steny Hoyer– Possible House Majority leader. Well known for courting special interests, he even voted in favor of the bankruptcy bill and got over $100,000 from lenders for his trouble.
Meanwhile, on the “Boy, how ugly would it have been if they’d LOST?” front, James “Serpentor” Carville wants to reward Howard Dean for his victory by kicking him out and replacing him with the one Democrat who LOST–Harold Ford. Whether this is to counter the Republicans looking to Michael Steele to replace Ken Mehelman or somthing else I don’t know. Markos “Daily Kos”, fresh from flexing his muscles in his takedown of Joe Lieberman…um, nevermind…responds thoughtfully ” Carville needs to shut the f**k up. If he wants a war, we’ll give him one.” Yikes…
This is the internet age, jáçkáššëš! If you want to waste the honeymoon forming a circular firing squad it won’t go unnoticed.
And if the remaining Republicans are smart–big if–they will just stand by and watch.
Thanks Bill, excellent explanation.
Also, if it hasn’t been mentioned already–Happy Veterens Day. And happy birthday to the Marines.
Bill Mulligan are you reading your nonsense before linking to them?
This leaves Hoyer, who voted for the bankruptcy retooling — like the republican majority who sponsored the bill in the first place.
If it’s bad and about a republican, they are innocent until proven guilty. If it’s bad and about a democrat, it’s gotta be true. Typical.
And Mary Matalin doesn’t call her husband “Serpentor,” she calls him “Serpent Head.” Put down the GI Joe before you hurt yourself.
I just read almost every word in this thread and agreed with Mike almost every time. Since I know I am not irrelevant, how could he be?
Keep on popping the ballons of the high and mighty right wingers, Mike. I, for one, am thoroughly enjoying it.
And the person who wrote that the Bush administration has shown the ability to switch gears/paths (or whatever)… You’re 100% correct.
I’ve watched Bush go from insufferable right wing suck-up, to half-assed cliche slinger, to idiotic war monger– to just plain deadly.
As I told my conservative Mom this past Wednesday– there’s not a dámņëd Democrat in the world who wants to see terrorists attack this country… Ever… And anybody who thinks that is a moron and a deluded áššhølë.
THERE’S your mantra for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Now let’s all sit back and watch the Republicans spit and sputter and attempt to figure out a way to make gay marriage seem deadlier than al-Qaeda… just in time for 2008.
And for those posters who question the abilities of Nancy Pelosi (HA! THAT’s a real knee slapper! Have you bothered to question the abilities of your Commander in Chief lately?)– you should be ashamed of yourselves. How could the FIRST FEMALE House Majority Leader be weak… or incompetent?!
We all know what you REALLY mean: That you question her abilities “…because she is a woman.”
Just for that utterly unfounded, sexist attitude, I hope all your future høøkërš and/or girlfriends and/or wives refuse to cop your joints for the rest of your natural born lives– no matter how much money you bribe them with.
I’ll never forget being in San Diego one year and have a comely stripper tell me she couldn’t wait for the Comic Con to be over because, “The Republicans are coming to town and they’re going to FLOOD this joint… and they’re great tippers too.”
Awww, Mike, were you getting all upset that nobody was talking about you. It’s ok, poppet, lemme give some of the attention momma didn’t:
You basic argument seem to be that you don’t care what any Democrats did as long as it can be claimed that a Republican did far worse. Wow, most of us stopped using that one when it stopped working, say, third grade. For your sake I hope you’re a precocious 2nd grader.
Mollohan: The donors to his charities won $179 million in government contracts. Why don’t we see 100 times the outrage from you over the tens of billions in no-bid contracts handed over to Hitlerburton?
Not much of a defense of Mollohan is it? And no wonder; what Mike fails to mention is:
1- National Legal and Policy Center filed a 500 page ethics complaint against Mollohan for misrepresenting his assets on financial disclosure forms. Mollohan’s real estate holdings and other assets have jumped in value from $562,000 in 2000 to at least $6.3 million in 2004.
From the complaint:
For the period 1996 through 2004, NLPC found that the Financial Disclosure Reports:
* repeatedly failed to disclose real estate assets which public records showed were owned by Mollohan and his wife
* repeatedly failed to disclose financial assets which public records showed were owned by Mollohan and his wife
* repeatedly failed to disclose major loans which were used in the acquisition of financial assets which were not being disclosed
* failed to disclose interests in companies which owned major assets
* grossly undervalued assets, giving purported valuations which were a small fraction of the assets’ true value
“The bottom line is Mollohan got very wealthy in a four year period. His account of his finances during this period is demonstrably false. The fact that he earmarked well over $100 million in tax dollars to groups associated with his business partner is about as big a red flag as one can imagine.”
2- On April 7, 2006, The New York Times reported that Mollohan “has fueled five non-profit groups in his West Virginia district with $250 million in earmark funding”
3- On April 21, 2006, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi announced that Mollohan would temporarily step down as the Ranking Democrat on the House Ethics Committee. Howard Berman of California took Mollohan’s place.
4- On April 25, 2006, The Wall Street Journal reported that Mollohan cooperated with CEO Dale R. McBride of FMW Composite Systems Inc. of Bridgeport, West Virginia for the joint purchase of his 300 acre farm along West Virginia’s Cheat River. Mollohan had directed a $2.1 million government contract earmarked to FWM composite systems to develop lightweight payload pallets for space-shuttle missions. Federal Bureau of Investigation agents have started asking questions in Washington and West Virginia about Mollohan’s investments and whether they were properly disclosed, according to the Journal. Mollohan had previously acknowledged he may have made inadvertent mistakes on financial disclosure forms.
(this is all cut and pasted from Wikipedia, which is all the effort Mike deserves.)
None of this means that Mollohan belongs in jail. I’m just saying that maybe a smart person would not want someone with an ethics cloud hanging over their heads assume a position of power right after an election decided in large part on corruption.
But there will always be people like Mike that will vote right down the line, Republican or Democrat, without thinking. Whether there’s enough of them, who knows. There are plenty of perfectly good Democrats in congress, why use tainted ones?
Murtha: he knew he was offered a bribe — and he didn’t take it. This is just more republican hatred and disgust of patriots who actually served their country in Vietnam who have the nerve to try and serve the public interest.
One should not take my word for it and I’m sure we ALL know that Mike has so far not demonstrated the ability to find his ášš with both hands and a flashlight. Go to http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=10427 for a (admittedly biased but useful) look at the actual transcript of the ABSCAM sting. Then go to http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=10426 for the transcript, if you want to see for yourself.
It raises an interesting question; after a clear attempt to be bribed did he report it to the FBI? Nope. The Ethics Committee, of which he was a member? Nope. By Murtha’s own story, he knew that a member of congress, Frank Thompson (from New Jersey. Knock me over with a feather) was corrupt. And. He. Did. Nothing.
NOT the guy I’d want in charge.
Incidentally those right wing nuts at the left-leaning Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) listed Murtha under Honorable Mention in its 20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress (one of only four Democrats listed on the site). The report cited Murtha’s steering of defense appropriations to KSA Consulting, which employed his brother Robert, and the PMA Group, founded by Paul Magliocchetti, a former Murtha senior aide.
But He IS a Democrat, and that’s good enough for Mike.
Hastings: Arrested and acquitted in an FBI sting where he accepted no bribe and received no money. As for his removal from office: “Senators could choose whatever standard of proof — beyond a reasonable doubt, clear and convincing, or another measure — they deemed appropriate.” It’s just too bad for Hastings he didn’t just sit 4 years on reports the chair of the Missing and Exploited Children’s Caucus was sexually harrassing the under-age pages. It’s just too bad for Hastings he didn’t just get caught doing something wrong.
Another weak argument and you have to sympathize with Mike on this one. Alcee is so corrupt it’s almost like he’s a character from the Simpsons. Google around about the guy and be prepared to laugh until you cry. Even his personal life is a mess–he owed his lawyer about a half million dollars form her defense of him. Luckily for him he lives with her. Unluckily for her it seems like everything he touches goes to hëll. She was disbarred for mishandling client funds. But all’s well that ends well and she gets 71K a year for being his Scheduler (4 grand more than his chief of staff gets).
But all you need to know about the guy is that he was impeached by some of the very people now considering putting him on the House Intelligence Committee. The U.S. House Of Representatives Voted 413-3 to impeach him. Had Mike been a member it would have been 412 to 4, just barely not enough for Alcee to prevail. As USA today wrote in an editorial “They cannot be serious. In 1988, Nancy Pelosi, the Congresswoman likely to become speaker of the House if Democrats recapture the majority, voted to impeach a federal judge named Alcee Hastings. So did Steny Hoyer, the front-runner to become majority leader. Now, 18 years later, these and other Democrats are weighing whether to make Hastings chairman of the House Intelligence Committee if they win in November (or ranking member if the Democrats fall short of the majority).” (Editorial, “Matters Of Choice,” USA Today, 8/30/06)
This leaves Hoyer, who voted for the bankruptcy retooling — like the republican majority who sponsored the bill in the first place.
Uh huh. See, unlike you, Mike, I don’t just automatically accept every little thing that either party does as automatically right. It’s harder that way, because you have to, you know, think, but trust me, it’s better. Or, to put it in words you may understand: Baaaa baaa baaaaa baa baa. Ok?
If it’s bad and about a republican, they are innocent until proven guilty. If it’s bad and about a democrat, it’s gotta be true. Typical.
Mike, illustrating the concept of projection. Take a bow, Mike.
And Mary Matalin doesn’t call her husband “Serpentor,” she calls him “Serpent Head.” Put down the GI Joe before you hurt yourself.
Yeaaaaaahhhhhh….um, I’m not Mary Matalin. Thanks for playing.
Ok, is that enough attention for one night, Mike? Let’s just all hope to God that Pelosi and the others in power are smarter than you are. It’s a low bar but one that must be jumped.
Posted by: insideman at November 10, 2006 10:34 PM
And for those posters who question the abilities of Nancy Pelosi (HA! THAT’s a real knee slapper! Have you bothered to question the abilities of your Commander in Chief lately?)– you should be ashamed of yourselves. How could the FIRST FEMALE House Majority Leader be weak… or incompetent?!
Uhm… is there, like, some magic scroll or something that decreed that the first woman speaker can be neither weak nor incompetent? No? Well, then, she can indeed be weak or incompetent… if she’s weak… or incompetent. It depends not on her gender, but on her actions.
Posted by: insideman at November 10, 2006 10:34 PM
We all know what you REALLY mean: That you question her abilities “…because she is a woman.”
So, if she’s a woman, she is inherently above criticism?
Look, you can get off your high horse and stop presuming to protect women everywhere. They’re not china dolls. They can take the heat.
Anyone who can’t… male or female… doesn’t belong in Congress.
Posted by: insideman at November 10, 2006 10:34 PM
Just for that utterly unfounded, sexist attitude, I hope all your future høøkërš and/or girlfriends and/or wives refuse to cop your joints for the rest of your natural born lives– no matter how much money you bribe them with.
Sounds like a bit of bitterness on your part towards those of us who are getting something you’re not.
Posted by: insideman at November 10, 2006 10:34 PM
I’ll never forget being in San Diego one year and have a comely stripper tell me she couldn’t wait for the Comic Con to be over because, “The Republicans are coming to town and they’re going to FLOOD this joint… and they’re great tippers too.”
Oh, well, that’s all I need to hear. All Republicans are corrupt and all Democrats are angels. All because of the word of one stripper. Hey, that’s all I need to hear (he said, dripping with sarcasm).
Insideman, Mike is irrelevant because he’s a troll. You say you know you’re “not irrelevant,” but frankly you’re on the verge of being incorrect, what with your puerile taunts.
Bill Mulligan — there is NO reason to waste your time on Mike. No one who matters is taking him seriously. I’d rather read more illuminating posts from you about things like stem cell research — posts which teach me something — than watch you waste your impressive intellect sparring with Mike. Yes, you can cut Mike to shreds but it’s a bit like watching someone club a parapalegic baby seal.
I mean, I too had fun cutting Mickey to shreds with my Onion-esque mock articles about him. But after awhile one realizes that shooting fish in a barrel isn’t worth it precisely because it’s so easy.
Normally I ignore Mike but in this case it gave me the opportunity to expand on my earlier post, so he was a useful idiot.
My point–too subtle for Mike to spot–was that the Democrats have a golden opportunity here and taking it would be good for the country, good for the Democrats and, long term, good for the Republicans as well. Or they can continue the cycle of incompetence and be willing to have a few years in power, a few years lost in the wilderness, a few years in power…
It’s a different world and politicians should wise up. The information is out there. they can’t hide as easily as they once did. Getting chummy with reporters doesn’t protect you when a kid with a modem can tell the world what a scumbag you are. The fact that some idiots manage to fool enough voters into getting them elected doesn’t mean you should put them in positions where they can harm the institution.
I thought insideman was kidding. Isn’t it supposed to be a joke if you say that Republicans like strippers and you got this info from a stripper?
You haven’t addressed where your 100-times outrage over Hitlerburton no-bids is.
As reported by CBS News 19 Nov 2004:
Halliburton received $73M for increasing Iraq’s oil exports from $4B in 1997 to $18B in 2000. Considering the same oil-for-food kickbacks Saddam Hussien paid Halliburton with were funding his public promise to hire suicide bombers, I wonder what kept Ðìçk Cheney from telling Hussein to go f*ck himself.
From the wikipedia entry Bill Mulligan cites:
That’s one more bronze star, two more purple hearts, one more cross of gallantry, one more distinguished service medal, and one more Marine than George Bush, Ðìçk Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul wolfowitz, and Karl Rove put together.
And the best you can come up with, Bill Mulligan, are casual penny-ante lapses he disclosed to the FBI when things got formal for him — which was the right thing to do. This is how you wish happy birthday to the US Marines?
Bush still owes Barry Richards $1 million for squashing the 2000 recount, dûmbášš.
And it doesn’t take much to demonstrate that the ones who vote Republican do the least thinking of all.
Yeah, Mary Matalin worked for George Bush, Ðìçk Cheney, and Karl Rove. Your devotion to the republicans is more like a høøkër’s devotion to the pimp who beats her. Who the hëll knows what keeps you hanging on?
You haven’t addressed where your 100-times outrage over Hitlerburton no-bids is.
As reported by CBS News 19 Nov 2004:
Halliburton received $73M for increasing Iraq’s oil exports from $4B in 1997 to $18B in 2000. Considering the same oil-for-food kickbacks Saddam Hussien paid Halliburton with were funding his public promise to hire suicide bombers, I wonder what kept Ðìçk Cheney from telling Hussein to go f*ck himself.
From the wikipedia entry Bill Mulligan cites:
That’s one more bronze star, two more purple hearts, one more cross of gallantry, one more distinguished service medal, and one more Marine than George Bush, Ðìçk Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul wolfowitz, and Karl Rove put together.
And the best you can come up with, Bill Mulligan, are casual penny-ante lapses he disclosed to the FBI when things got formal for him — which was the right thing to do. This is how you wish happy birthday to the US Marines?
Bush still owes Barry Richards $1 million for squashing the 2000 recount, moron.
And it doesn’t take much to demonstrate that the ones who vote Republican do the least thinking of all.
Yeah, Mary Matalin worked for George Bush, Ðìçk Cheney, and Karl Rove. Your devotion to the republicans is more like a høøkër’s devotion to the pimp who beats her. Who the hëll knows what keeps you hanging on?
You haven’t addressed where your 100-times outrage over Hitlerburton no-bids is.
As reported by CBS News 19 Nov 2004:
Halliburton received $73M for increasing Iraq’s oil exports from $4B in 1997 to $18B in 2000: “http://www.washingtonpost.com/ ac2/wp-dyn? pagename=article &node= &contentId= A35751-2001Jun22”. Considering the same oil-for-food kickbacks Saddam Hussien paid Halliburton with were funding his public promise to hire suicide bombers, I wonder what kept Ðìçk Cheney from telling Hussein to go f*ck himself (http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/06/24/cheney.leahy).
From the wikipedia entry Bill Mulligan cites:
That’s one more bronze star, two more purple hearts, one more cross of gallantry, one more distinguished service medal, and one more Marine than George Bush, Ðìçk Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul wolfowitz, and Karl Rove put together.
And the best you can come up with, Bill Mulligan, are casual penny-ante lapses he disclosed to the FBI when things got formal for him — which was the right thing to do. This is how you wish happy birthday to the US Marines?
Bush still owes Barry Richards $1 million for squashing the 2000 recount, dûmbášš: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Greenberg_Traurig
And it doesn’t take much to demonstrate that the ones who vote Republican do the least thinking of all.
Yeah, Mary Matalin worked for George Bush, Ðìçk Cheney, and Karl Rove. Your devotion to the republicans is more like a høøkër’s devotion to the pimp who beats her. Who the hëll knows what keeps you hanging on?
You haven’t addressed where your 100-times outrage over Hitlerburton no-bids is.
As reported by CBS News 19 Nov 2004:
Halliburton received $73M for increasing Iraq’s oil exports from $4B in 1997 to $18B in 2000: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId= A35751-2001Jun22
Considering the same oil-for-food kickbacks Saddam Hussien paid Halliburton with were funding his public promise to hire suicide bombers, I wonder what kept Ðìçk Cheney from telling Hussein to go f*ck himself (http://www.cnn.com/2004/ ALLPOLITICS/06/24/cheney.leahy).
From the wikipedia entry Bill Mulligan cites:
That’s one more bronze star, two more purple hearts, one more cross of gallantry, one more distinguished service medal, and one more Marine than George Bush, Ðìçk Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul wolfowitz, and Karl Rove put together.
And the best you can come up with, Bill Mulligan, are casual penny-ante lapses he disclosed to the FBI when things got formal for him — which was the right thing to do. This is how you wish happy birthday to the US Marines?
Are you on crack? Bush still owes Barry Richards $1 million for squashing the 2000 recount: http://www.sourcewatch.org/?title=Greenberg_Traurig
And it doesn’t take much to demonstrate that the ones who vote Republican do the least thinking of all.
Yeah, Mary Matalin worked for George Bush, Ðìçk Cheney, and Karl Rove. Your devotion to the republicans is more like a høøkër’s devotion to the pimp who beats her. Who the hëll knows what keeps you hanging on?
You haven’t addressed where your 100-times outrage over Hitlerburton no-bids is.
As reported by CBS News 19 Nov 2004:
Halliburton received $73M for increasing Iraq’s oil exports from $4B in 1997 to $18B in 2000: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId= A35751-2001Jun22
Considering the same oil-for-food kickbacks Saddam Hussien paid Halliburton with were funding his public promise to hire suicide bombers, I wonder what kept Ðìçk Cheney from telling Hussein to go fûçk himself (www.cnn.com/2004/ ALLPOLITICS/06/24/cheney.leahy).
From the wikipedia entry Bill Mulligan cites:
That’s one more bronze star, two more purple hearts, one more cross of gallantry, one more distinguished service medal, and one more Marine than George Bush, Ðìçk Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul wolfowitz, and Karl Rove put together.
And the best you can come up with, Bill Mulligan, are casual penny-ante lapses he disclosed to the FBI when things got formal for him — which was the right thing to do. This is how you wish happy birthday to the US Marines?
Are you on crack? Bush still owes Barry Richards $1 million for squashing the 2000 recount: http://www.sourcewatch.org/?title=Greenberg_Traurig
And it doesn’t take much to demonstrate that the ones who vote Republican do the least thinking of all.
Yeah, Mary Matalin worked for George Bush, Ðìçk Cheney, and Karl Rove. Your devotion to the republicans is more like a høøkër’s devotion to the pimp who beats her. Who the hëll knows what keeps you hanging on?
The reason it wouldn’t be mentioned is because Veterans Day is November 11. It’s nice to see you upholding the republican tradition of not serving in the military.
Happy Veterans Day.
Mike, thank you for proving my point. Your only answer to the charges of corruption by some Democrats is to point out corruption by some Republicans. Lame, so so lame.
You haven’t addressed where your 100-times outrage over Hitlerburton no-bids is.
Is there any chance Nancy Peolosi is about to elevate someone who is working for Halliburton? No? Oh. See, that was the point. You aren’t very smart, are you?
He remained in the [Marine] Reserves after his discharge from active duty until he volunteered for service in the Vietnam War, serving from 1966 to 1967, serving as a battalion staff officer (S-2 Intelligence Section), receiving the Bronze Star with Valor device, two Purple Hearts and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. He retired from the Reserves as a colonel in 1990, receiving the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.
I applaud his service to his country. None of which qualifies him to be House Leader, especially given his track record as a politician. That was the point. You aren’t very smart, are you?
That’s one more bronze star, two more purple hearts, one more cross of gallantry, one more distinguished service medal, and one more Marine than George Bush, Ðìçk Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul wolfowitz, and Karl Rove put together.
Are any of these gentlemen up for House leadership roles? No? But…that was the point, Mike. You aren’t very smart, are you?
Are you on crack? Bush still owes Barry Richards $1 million for squashing the 2000 recount: http://www.sourcewatch.org/?title=Greenberg_Traurig
And…this excuses Hastings how? You really aren’t very smart, are you?
Yeah, Mary Matalin worked for George Bush, Ðìçk Cheney, and Karl Rove. Your devotion to the republicans is more like a høøkër’s devotion to the pimp who beats her. Who the hëll knows what keeps you hanging on?
Ewww, Mike goes all sexual weird on us. Again. Boy, mom takes off the parental controls on the internet and first thing you do is go to the gutter. Grow up, why don’t you? (and haven’t you used this høøkër/pimp line before? What’s the matter, couldn’t work OF MICE AND MEN into it?)
Anyhoo, Mike, I have no problem pointing out when Republicans are scum. Hëll, I’ve been saying for some time now that they deserved to lose this November. You can look it up (it’s not like you have a life). You, on the other hand, jump like a little lemming whenever a Democrat is criticized. Sad. It’s why people like Marion Barry can get re-elected, they just have to find enough people who are so beholden to one party that they will put up with anything. I think that people like you are becoming a smaller and smaller percentage of the voting public so hopefully this will become less of a problem.
(I know, Bill Myers, I know. Most of the time I’d rather ignore the sap. And I know I have, ahem, projects that I should be working on. And I know it’s like shooting fish in a barrel. But inside all of us there is that mean little voice that really sort of enjoys a flame war and who better to do it with than Mike, being as he isn’t, you know, very smart, is he?)
The reason it wouldn’t be mentioned is because Veterans Day is November 11.
By gosh, you are correct! That makes you potentially half as valuable as a stopped clock! Way to go, Mike!
G’night now, cherub.
PAD,
First, I admit I didn’t believe this would happen, at least not by this much of a margin.
Second, while I have different reasons, I tend to think waiting till after the election was a smart move as well. Clearly he was ready for it, having someone already waiting.
Third, and most important: So, are you keeping the Freedom Clock? With Dems having BOTH the House and Senate, things have changed. To be honest, the biggest reason I hope you get rid of it is I have dial up at home and it makes this page load rather slow. But I am curious if you still feel there is no freedom. Personally, I felt when the Republicans took both houses during the Clinton years that it was the better than the current alternative of the Dems having the houses and us the White House.
Not to start a theological debate, but the one thing that has helped me no matter who is in power is the confidence that God is ultimately in control. So while I am rather sorry the Republicans lost, I am not perhaps as fearful as some were when the Republicans were in power.
Hmm. I wonder if this will change the ending of Marvel’s Civil War?
Iowa Jim
As I told my conservative Mom this past Wednesday– there’s not a dámņëd Democrat in the world who wants to see terrorists attack this country… Ever… And anybody who thinks that is a moron and a deluded áššhølë.
Geez, that must have made for some interesting dinner conversation, eh?
“Sweetie, can you pass the salt, please?”
“Mom, ANYBODY who believes that a terrorist attack on the U.S. is what the Democrats want is a moron and a deluded áššhølë!!”
“…okay, fine. Keep the salt.”
Posted by: TallestFanEver at November 11, 2006 03:09 AM
Geez, that must have made for some interesting dinner conversation, eh?
“Sweetie, can you pass the salt, please?”
“Mom, ANYBODY who believes that a terrorist attack on the U.S. is what the Democrats want is a moron and a deluded áššhølë!!”
“…okay, fine. Keep the salt.”
Aaaannndddd… the award for “Funniest Post in This Thread” goes to TallestFanEver, who owes me a new computer monitor (I spit orange juice all over mine as the result of laughing at your joke, dámņ you).
🙂
Posted by: Bill Mulligan at November 11, 2006 01:32 AM
(I know, Bill Myers, I know. Most of the time I’d rather ignore the sap. And I know I have, ahem, projects that I should be working on. And I know it’s like shooting fish in a barrel. But inside all of us there is that mean little voice that really sort of enjoys a flame war and who better to do it with than Mike, being as he isn’t, you know, very smart, is he?)
Hey, I live in a glass house in this respect, so I’m not going to throw rocks. It is indeed fun pounding on trolls like Mickey. I’m tempted to begin anew, myself. But lately I’ve discovered it is also fun to watch what happens when you deny them the attention they so desperately crave. 😉
And, no, Mickey isn’t very smart. But then again, I’m not that smart either in comparison to you. So, you know, it really isn’t a fair comparison.
And I must say, knowing that you have an affection for making zombie movies and a better-than-layperson’s understanding of stem cell research is something I find a bit… chilling. Please don’t go all “Brain” on us a la “Pinky and the Brain.”
The Freedom Clock represents the amount of time until Bush is out of office. Last I looked, he’s still there.
PAD
Posted by: Mike at November 11, 2006 12:58 AM
The reason it wouldn’t be mentioned is because Veterans Day is November 11. It’s nice to see you upholding the republican tradition of not serving in the military.
Happy Veterans Day.
Of course, schools were closed yesterday in observance of the holiday, but, hey, let’s sweat the small stuff so we forget the big stuff.
I vowed not to respond to you again but you have insulted a friend of mine. You can rag on me all you want, Mickey, but when you start impugning the honor of one of my friends — someone you DON’T EVEN KNOW — I draw the line, you little snot.
I know how old Bill Mulligan is. And I can tell you that THERE WAS NO DRAFT ON when he was of draft age. Lots of people don’t volunteer for the army but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t serve if called. I can tell you with certainty that if his nation had needed him to serve he’d have done so with distinction and honor because that’s the kind of guy he is.
The kind of guy you are is a friendless little twit who feels the need to turn every disagreement into something personal. I know this won’t get through to you. I know you’ll do nothing but respond with insults that are tantamount to, “La la la I can’t hear you la de da.”
But that’s okay, because this isn’t about you, Mickey. You are irrelevant because you are a spineless, rotten, mean-spirited little turd who’s insulted at least a half-dozen people here without cause.
This is about Bill Mulligan. He’s very, very relevant because he’s a decent guy. I can say that with certainty because I KNOW him. You DON’T and therefore what you have to say amounts to nothing more the self-aggrandizing bull of a very, very, very small person.
I very much doubt anyone who truly KNOWS you would come to your defense in a similar fashion. And if I’m correct (as I believe I am) have you ever bothered to ask yourself why?
Posted by: Peter David at November 11, 2006 07:43 AM
The Freedom Clock represents the amount of time until Bush is out of office. Last I looked, he’s still there.
PAD
I don’t understand why people are so bothered by the freedom clock. Whoever created it was simply expressing an opinion, and by incorporating it into his blog Peter is simply expressing the same opinion. Those of you who don’t share that opinion aren’t being injured or denied anything as a result.
My opinion? Peter should keep the freedom clock on his page if he wants, or ditch it if he doesn’t.
Posted by: Bill Mulligan at November 10, 2006 11:39 PM
I thought insideman was kidding. Isn’t it supposed to be a joke if you say that Republicans like strippers and you got this info from a stripper?
insideman, if you were joking and it went over my head, I apologize.
I can see it now. Mr. Mulligan’s going to increase his megalomania by a factor of 10, while every post from Mr. Myers is going to end with either “Zort!” or “Narf!”
“And for those posters who question the abilities of Nancy Pelosi (HA! THAT’s a real knee slapper! Have you bothered to question the abilities of your Commander in Chief lately?)– you should be ashamed of yourselves. How could the FIRST FEMALE House Majority Leader be weak… or incompetent?!
We all know what you REALLY mean: That you question her abilities ‘…because she is a woman.'”
To anyone has jumped on the anti-Pelosi wagon, and anyone who’s swearing the Democrats are the firstsign of the Apocalypse, they’ve only been in their new positions for say, THIRTY SECONDS! Change takes time, and seeing if someone’s good at a job takes longer! GIVE THEM TIME!
Posted by: Sean Scullion at November 11, 2006 08:30 AM
I can see it now. Mr. Mulligan’s going to increase his megalomania by a factor of 10, while every post from Mr. Myers is going to end with either “Zort!” or “Narf!”
Well, Sean “The Poster Formerly Known as ‘Rat'” Scullion, if it makes you feel any better I consider you a friend and will go to bat for you as well.
Zort! Narf!
Posted by: Sean Scullion at November 11, 2006 08:30 AM
To anyone has jumped on the anti-Pelosi wagon, and anyone who’s swearing the Democrats are the firstsign of the Apocalypse, they’ve only been in their new positions for say, THIRTY SECONDS! Change takes time, and seeing if someone’s good at a job takes longer! GIVE THEM TIME!
To be fair, she’s been in Congress for more than 30 seconds, and it’s also fair to speculate about her abilities based on her past performance as a congresswoman. And not all of her critics in this thread have said she’s pre-destined to be a total bust. Bill Mulligan in particular merely expressed the hope that she’ll play her cards better than he fears she will.
In defending you, Bill Mulligan, Bill Myers makes my point for me. The two of you aren’t very smart, are you?
These so-called “vows not to respond” must heighten the excitement while you circle-jerk in your crotchless shrouds. Bill Mulligan’s “Baaaa baaa baaaaa”s must be some kind of kinky-speak you, Bill Mulligan, and Sean Scullion use to time your climaxes with.
Like how a group of defensive white guys deny “ANY racially motivated murder” matches the plain wording of “Killing members of [a national, ethnical, racial or religious group]” in the defninition of genocide, you needy closet eichmann?
You heard it here, folks: beatings are sexual. Still taking your sex education from Rush Limbaugh, Bill Mulligan?
To quote John Malkovich’s Lennie Small: “Thtop thqueaming! I jutht wanna pet you! Thtop thqueaming!”
The only problem I have with the freedom clock is that on some computers I have to wait when I call up the page and click some box 3 times that tells me it can’t load java. If I don’t the Internet Explorer locks up. I’m sure I could fix this but it isn’t my computer and I’ve learned it isn’t nice to dìçk around with someone elses settings.
Other than that, hey, It’s PAD’s blog. He can pt a jpg of tubgirl up there for all I care. (No, that’s a joke. And I don’t even know what tubgirl is but my imagination has come up with some very disturbing scenarios. No, it’s ok, don’t tell me.)
Bill Myers, my friend, I thank you. It’s good to have people who think well of you, even though it means one has to live up to it.
If drafted would I have gone. Yeah, but I can’t work up much dislike for those who did not. Vietnam was a stupid war, stupidly fought by people who left our men out to dry. The soldiers did well–they won every major battle, they inflicted heavy casualties on an enemy that showed great courage and determination (and was fighting on their own turf). But given the political climate and the competence of the leadership it was a doomed cause.
So why go? Well, if you don’t some other guy does, that’s one. That’s the big one. And I do have an old fashioned “your country calls, you gotta go” mentality, probably from watching too many viewing of SANDS OF IWO JIMA or something.
And now I’m too old to volunteer, even though they keep extending the age they never quite extend it enough. And I would consider it, though my wife tells me the Iraqis would not get the chance to kill me once she did it.
(And, in all seriousness, I think they should allow just about any able bodied person to join. Yes, boot camp would kill me (obviously the Iraqis will have to take a number and wait in line). There’s no way I can do what some guy half my age can do. Even if I was in better shape I would never be mistaken for the few, the proud. But most of the army is not at the front line. There are a lot of jobs I’d be perfectly good at. Maybe even better at than some 20 year old. If the prison guards at Abu Ghraib had been in their 40s I’ll bet there would have been a lot less stupidity going on. At the very least I can push a pencil and shuffle papers with the best of them or work as a combat photographer or in the bio weapons dept or in training or in any 1 of 100 things that most of us people of longevity have been exposed to in our various journeys to the tomb.)
And, no, Mickey isn’t very smart. But then again, I’m not that smart either in comparison to you. So, you know, it really isn’t a fair comparison.
Wellll….I’m intelligent. That can be measured. Smart? Eh, I can point out a few instances in my past that call that into question! Don’t sell yourself short,
Even Mike displays a certain intelligence now and again. Smart? Not even close. But while you are born with the intelligence you’re stuck with, using it wisely tends to come with age. Let’s hope to God he’s still in his teens.
Geez, that must have made for some interesting dinner conversation, eh?
Tallestfanever, dámņ funniest thing I’ve read in day. That’s TWO keyboards you are responsible for.
In defending you, Bill Mulligan, Bill Myers makes my point for me. The two of you aren’t very smart, are you?
Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, I thank you, sir. Now get some personal hygene, a good job, some friends and extensive plastic surgury and you can actually be me!
These so-called “vows not to respond” must heighten the excitement while you circle-jerk in your crotchless shrouds. Bill Mulligan’s “Baaaa baaa baaaaa”s must be some kind of kinky-speak you, Bill Mulligan, and Sean Scullion use to time your climaxes with.
Uh-oh, Mike been hanging around those websites again.
And Craig, apparently you scared him off pretty well, he neglects to include you in the axis of evil…though maybe you should feel bad about that…
Like how a group of defensive white guys deny “ANY racially motivated murder” matches the plain wording of “Killing members of [a national, ethnical, racial or religious group]” in the defninition of genocide, you needy closet eichmann?
Mike, still denying his basic nature. Let’s see…weird sexual references? Check. Racism? Check. Desperate attempt to prove that he’s read a big boy’s book like OF MICE AND MEN? Che…oh, wait. He hasn’t done that…
To quote John Malkovich’s Lennie Small: “Thtop thqueaming! I jutht wanna pet you! Thtop thqueaming!”
THERE we go! Check!
You have a very limited repertoire, Mike. You’d think you’d be better at it.
Now comes the time on Sprockets where we dan…I mean, now comes the time where I tell you, ahem, “It’s been fun making you look stupid (And thanks for the help) but I fear we’ve hijacked another perfectly good thread so I will now ignore any further comments from you and allow you the oh so important last word without any acknowledgement of your existence. You will probably respond with ever more desperate attempts to make me break this statement by attacking my friends, children, wife, or any other type relationship that you can only read about in books. I will continue to ignore you until, at the very earliest, the next thread where you say something stupid (which is to say, the next thread). So long, sayonara, hors dourve.”
You heard it here, folks: Bill Mulligan invented the “you’re stupid” come back. The invention of the wheel is pending.
Yeah, the website is PeterDavid.net held hostage by Bills’ closeted perversions:
Dude, those were topics all introduced here by you and Bill Myers, with whom you have a sharing relationship. With your blaming me for all this, you are back-asswardly securing your sexual freedom with your own faux Saruman-like protestations.
Well, your wife killing you is what you get for marrying her in the style of Borat marrying Pamela Anderson.
I have dial-up, and the page loads fine for me in firefox and ie, on a 7-year-old computer. If you have anything more primitive, you should just surf pages with your images and scripting disabled. You don’t have a problem with just Peter’s pages, but with the whole internet.
Ahem. Steering back to sanity: I would have loved to have seen Colin Powell replace Rumsfeld. I know full well the probability of that happening was pretty close to nil, what with the shabby treatment Powell received from Bush, and the fact that getting Powell back probably would’ve required Bush to get down on his knees and beg. And for it to have been meaningful, Bush would have had to offer Powell the kind of authority and autonomy he gave to the undeserving Rumsfeld.
Call it the fantasy football of politics — I just think Powell would’ve been a great choice, even though it could never happen.
I’m not sure that Powell would want the job regardless. It’s not one that has a high liklihood of success.
At any rate Powell is very clearly a person who is willing to forego power and prestige. This is the guy who, quite possibly, could have been president. He quite undeniably could have taken the job of vice president from either party and been the factor that would have made a difference. Anyone not think a Kerry/Powell ticket would have won? Or a Bush/Powell ticket (by an even bigger margin)?
It’s unusual to see someone willing to pass that up.
“Posted by: insideman at November 10, 2006 10:34 PM
We all know what you REALLY mean: That you question her abilities “…because she is a woman.””
Yeah, because we all know that we spent soooo much time on this site and elsewhere questioning the abilities of those in power JUST because they were women. Bush, Cheney, Rummy, Wolfie….. Oh, wait.. They’re all men. What were we thinking when we were questioning them?
“Posted by: Mike at November 11, 2006 12:58 AM
The reason it wouldn’t be mentioned is because Veterans Day is November 11. It’s nice to see you upholding the republican tradition of not serving in the military.”
Yeah, because nobody ever says Merry Christmas, Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Halloween, Happy Easter or Happy New Year a day or two before the actual event.
“If the prison guards at Abu Ghraib had been in their 40s I’ll bet there would have been a lot less stupidity going on.”
At a certain point a group of middle aged reserve soldiers in the Israeli army volunteered to serve at checkpoints in order to prevent some of the tentions and abuses going on in the roadblocks, because they felt they could handle the tension better than young soldiers. I don’t know how well it turned out, and if it’s stil going on. Some might say that it was a PR trick.
A left wing group of mostly middle aged women have been going to roadblocks to monitor and try to prevent abuses there. I know one of them, but ever since I walked away from such activities I don’t know what’s going on, and I don’t feel much enthusiasm to go back. Although, my own pssivity, nor some criticism I have against them, shouldn’t take away from their work.
“But most of the army is not at the front line. There are a lot of jobs I’d be perfectly good at. Maybe even better at than some 20 year old. At the very least I can push a pencil and shuffle papers with the best of them.”
I’ve been feeling kind of bad recently that I didn’t volunteer to the reserves after I got out of the army (as a volunteer, I was not physically fit to regular service). I never thought they’d have much use for me, but obviously Bill is right. Not one of my finest moments. I really should do something about it. Ðámņ my passivity.
On a different note, it’s a shame that the discussion here took a turn to the vicious. I realize that Mike’s hot temper and aggressive attitude have something to do with this, but maybe we can do something to prevent further problems? Maybe not. I don’t know.
I was in the military and we didn’t say “Happy Veterans Day” even on Veterans Day. What is your problem?
Yeah, it’s one thing to feign interest in a Vietnam vet’s experience or wish the Marines a happy birthday, but when the country’s at war, and the president is reluctant to take advice from anyone who actually served in uniform, you better know your place, which is to serve at the pleasure of the people who shook hands with Saddam Hussein and took $73 million from him when he publicly offered bounties to suicide bombers by quadrupling his oil revenues.
“I applaud his service to his country. None of which qualifies him to be House Leader…” how much more patently stupid do things get with you?
On a different note, it’s a shame that the discussion here took a turn to the vicious. I realize that Mike’s hot temper and aggressive attitude have something to do with this, but maybe we can do something to prevent further problems? Maybe not. I don’t know.
Play with him and then ignore him. It works.
On a more constructive note, it’s too bad that there aren’t more opportunities for older people to serve. Of course, once you have a wife, kids, job, mortgage, it will be harder to do the sort of things that a younger person with fewer ties can accomplish.
Micha, what did you do in the army? I know every Israeli is expected to serve but what do they do with the average Joe who is just not combat material?
Also, what is the Israeli policy on gun ownership? Given the high likelihood of war is everyone expected to own a gun or are their provisions to arm civilians if things get very bad? People here talk about owning guns as if there is a snowballs chance in hëll that there could ever be a RED DAWN situation where they have to fight a guerilla war against the armed might of, I don’t know, Martians or something, but in Israel that is not exactly a crazy concept.
Posted by: Micha at November 11, 2006 01:08 PM
On a different note, it’s a shame that the discussion here took a turn to the vicious. I realize that Mike’s hot temper and aggressive attitude have something to do with this, but maybe we can do something to prevent further problems? Maybe not. I don’t know.
I have to accept a degree of responsibility. I’m the one who set him off most recently. And I’m clearly one of his favorite targets.
Rather than making promises that I’m too easily tempted to break, I’ll try instead to take a smaller step in the right direction. I’ve been allowing Mike to unduly influence my emotional state and the tenor and content of many of my recent posts. I will endeavor to remember that I don’t have to let him have that kind of influence over me — I can choose when, where, and how to respond.
“I was in the military….”
Yes, I know. And you had soooo much respect for the military that you have since stated things like you having felt that you were the only reliably sane person there.
Now, go slurp on some chicken soup and let the adults talk.
“The Freedom Clock represents the amount of time until Bush is out of office. Last I looked, he’s still there.”
True. However, removing would have been a nice symbol of graciousness and nonpartisanship. An acknowledgement that things are going to change since the Congress is going to switch hands in January. All about being “uniters,” not “dividers.” That sort of thing. After all, even the Democratic leadership is, at least for the time being, treating President Bush like the president and not some hated moronic villain.
I thought about asking you to remove the Freedom Clock as well. I thought it would be just a nice thing to do. I still think that way. But it has since occurred to me that the Freedom Clock now serves a new function for me when I visit your web site -It’s now counting down the number of days until the Republicans take back the Congress.
So while I think it would be big of you to remove it, it really doesn’t matter to me one way or the other anymore.
Bill (Myers), we can only try.
“Micha, what did you do in the army? I know every Israeli is expected to serve but what do they do with the average Joe who is just not combat material?”
Each soldier has a fitness profile. The highest is 97, I think, the lowest 21. Obviously most people are not 97, pilot or infantry material. But then you have tanks, artillery, intelligence, radar operators, and many other jobs, and much clerical work. So there are jobs for the less fit. I have diabetes, so my profile is 21. I was not required to serve, but I volunteered. However, I didn’t go through even the lowest grade of basic training, and I didn’t even have a gun. So basically what work in a job while wearing uniform. I worked in a printing press. Not very impressive. Most people in my base were not exactly combat: clerks, photographers, printers, map makers, secretaries, intelligence, communication and so forth. One of my sisters was a laison to the UN (because of the English), the other a programer. I also served only two years, instead of the three. For some reason, they only sign volunteers for two, and although I went to the army planning to add the extra year, by the time I came out the spirit of volunteerism was replaced with the typical attitude of soldier just doing his job and waiting for his service to end. When I came out I also did not volunteer for reserves (which is also required from most people). I rationalized it by saying that there was not much use for me. Most of the reservists in the printing press were professional s, and I wasn’t planning to follow that career + the reservists were realy bored and underfoot + it wasn’t exactly as if I was going to do something important + at the time we thought peace was near. Afterwards I was also active in Peace Now, which is not anti-army, but the atmosphere was not pro-army either at the time. But it always bothered me a bit.
“Also, what is the Israeli policy on gun ownership?”
I am not exactly sure what the policies are. People own and carry handguns. I suppose many people who work in private security companies do. But civilians don’t keep weapons at home for the eventuality of a war, nor are all civilians trained, only the ones that were in the army, which is not everybody. I haven’t heard talk about distributing guns to civilians either. If there is a war that requires massive manpower, reservists are called to their units. When I was a child they’ve had drills where units codes were called on TV, and people went to their units. But now I think they don’t use the TV anymore. Small settlements have a civilan whose job is security. I’m not exactly sure what they do, as I live in a city. It is possible that such settlements have armories, maybe, I don’t know. Maybe other Israelis, whose lives are less sheltered than mine do. People who live in settlements in the west bank are issued and carry assault rifles.
Considering the ownership of handguns. If you walk in the street you might see more than one person wearing a handgun. This became more commo
n in the early 90’s when there were quite a few incidents of stabbing by Palestinians. But I can only recall one case when such a gun was used in such a situation, and I’m not sure why people get these guns, or if they do it because of the security situation. They don’t do it because they expect to fight against an invasion. During the more recent problems with suicide bombers there was much demand for private security in buses, restaurants, movie theaters. Recently I was at a bus and I saw a young woman wearing a cute pink sweatshirt, jeans, and a white braided leather belt, and on the belt was a gun. She was probably working in a security company, maybe in the university. I thought it was a funny image. Hunting is not very common among Israelis, but it does exist. I don’t know what the rules are about the rifles they use.
To sum up, Israelis don’t have the cultural associations Americans have toward guns, but on the other hand, since armed soldiers walk the street, it is not strange for us to see people walking around with guns. Yet I’ve never heard anybody talk about fear of invasion or the need for guerrila warfare. Maybe because the mental distance between the army and civilian life is much smaller.
Anyway, short question, long answer.
Sean Scullion wrote: “To anyone has jumped on the anti-Pelosi wagon, and anyone who’s swearing the Democrats are the firstsign of the Apocalypse,…”
It’s funny a religious nutbar sadly told me right after Clinton got elected for his second term “whoas us, Clinton is the devil and will issue in Armageddon…”
Six years later this religious nutbar in a fit of what can only be called religious stupidity “George Bush will bring on the Second coming and I’ll be going home…”
Well the last I looked Clinton did not bring on the apocalypse and Shrub is failing at his religiously appointed task of brining on the apocalypse to be followed by the second coming. Now my question is why was the apocalypse bad during Clinton’s time, but desired during Shrubs tenure?
>True. However, removing would have been a nice symbol of graciousness and nonpartisanship.
Peter, my vote is keep it up, keep it counting. Graciousness and nonpartisanship? The day before the voting (and probably the day of the voting but I didn’t listen to the news about shrub on Tuesday) Shrub was labeling democrats as “A vote for terrorists”. I’d suggest if you want graciousness you get Shrub to apologize for labeling half the country as traitors for the last 5 years.
Otherwise freedom is when we get someone in the white house who realizes that people are not terrorists if they don’t agree with your often wrong opinions and lies.
>An acknowledgement that things are going to change since the Congress is going to switch hands in January. All about being “uniters,” not “dividers.”
It’s funny being dictated to, about “unity” by someone who supports the greatest divider in the modern history of this country.
>After all, even the Democratic leadership is, at least for the time being, treating President Bush like the president and not some hated moronic villain.
Hopefully that wont last long, I voted for candidates that said they would start impeachment hearings and hopefully we will see that sometime in January.
>I thought it would be just a nice thing to do.
yes like it was so nice for the last 5 years to be labeled as a liberal “terrorist lover”, “freedom hater”, a person who offers “support to terrorists” just by being a liberal and in opposition to Shrub’s policies and “A vote for the democrats is a vote for the terrorists” and by his sicophants “traitor”.
Where was you call for the last 5 years for your chosen president “to be nice”?
Nice would have been trying to open a dialog with those who opposed his methods and finding a mutual ground that both sides could agree on. Instead we get the great divider who labeled those and name called an intimidated those who did not agree with him. For that matter even though he is the president, he doesn’t allow anyone but hand picked supporters to be allowed into his speeches anywhere and if you manage to get in you are arrested (just for having a differing opinion) as has happened ever time he appears in my town.
“Hopefully that wont last long, I voted for candidates that said they would start impeachment hearings and hopefully we will see that sometime in January.”
No, hopefully we won’t.
It is 24 months until we vote for a new President. I can live with him as a lame duck that long. Let him end up facing charges for the things he may have done after he leaves office.
Why? Well, look at what you’re talking about here. The Democrats take over in late January. Lets say they start the push for impeachment hearings by Feb. 1. they could be fighting that fight for two to three months easy and not have enough votes to impeach Bush. They do, after all, have to get the moderates on their side.
And that could be a problem. Why? Because they’ll be looking at the result of a Bush impeachment. We’ll be left in the loving hands of President Cheney. That’s the man who, if all reports are true, wanted to keep Rummy on and isn’t as swift on the idea of playing nice-nice with the Dems.
What? Oh, you think we should just impeach him right after we’re done with Bush? Sure, that’s gonna fly. Lets impeach two Presidents within six to eight months of each other. You’ll never get the moderates onboard for that little war and you’ll have spent dámņëd near the entire year fighting over that rather then doing anything for the troops abroad or the people at home.
Plus, hopefully, the Democrats are smarter then that. They know what the chances are of them getting swept back out of power the next go round if they make a power play like that. They know how long they may stay out of power if they put the country through something like that rather then putting their focus on Iraq, the troops, the War on Terror and homefront issues.
And, skip bringing up the Clinton impeachment to argue this. The world wasn’t going through what it is now back then. People will react to it in a different manner.
Besides, as I said above, why throw away the time and the political capitol they have now? Bush was a bully when he held all the power. He doesn’t have it all now.
He may well start playing better with others for his last two years in office. Lets wait and see. He’s already done two things that everyone claimed he would never do by throwing Rummy on his sword and standing up to Uncle Dicky.
Jerry C–you’re smart. That’s exactly the right kind of thinking teh Democrats should be doing (and from everything I’ve seen, they are). Pelosi has said she doesn’t want impeachment. Conyers, presumed to become chairman of the House Judiciary Committee said that impeachment “is off the table.”, and Howard Dean told John Stewart “I know half the audience wants us to impeach the President and all that kind of stuff but we’re not gonna do that – we’re not gonna do that.”
So it would apear that anyone who voted for that eventuality may be in for a letdown.
Hunting is not very common among Israelis, but it does exist. I don’t know what the rules are about the rifles they use.
Thanks for your long answer Micha, that’s why it’s so great to have people from all over the world here. Now to reveal my ignorance once again–wht would one hunt in Israel if one were hunting?