Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Is Bush Smarter Than Bill Gates or Warren Buffett


Please read the article from Warren Buffett. It is very telling.

Guest post by Mike

Republicans often accuse Progressives of not being successful, or of even hating the success of others and wanting to unfairly penalize them. They also accuse Progressives of not knowing what is best for the economy or society as a whole, they claim to know more than us how run the economy.

So I ask if we are talking economics or success in business or just plain being smart who would YOU rather listen to, some of the most brilliant and successful businessmen in the world like Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, George Soros, Ted Turner etc......who say they don't WANT or NEED tax free dividends or tax cuts and it would benefit the economy and society FAR MORE and be FAR MORE fair to give them to the poor and middle class; or would you rather listen to GWB and Dick Cheney a couple of ne'er-do-wells, who failed at most everything they have ever done and have been dead wrong about essentially EVERYTHING.

According to GWB, its fair for a billionaire to pay less than 1/10 the percentage of his income in taxes as a working class person struggling to raise a family...............Oh, one more thing the economy has consistently done MUCH better under Democratic administrations in almost every measurable metric, so it would seem it is the Democrats who REALLY know what is best.

"The taxes I pay to the federal government are roughly the same proportion of my income about 30% as that paid by the receptionist in our office. My case is not atypical, my earnings,like those of many rich people, are a mix of capital gains and ordinary income nor is it affected by tax shelters (I've never used any).

As it works out, I pay a somewhat higher rate for my combination of salary, investment and capital gain income than our receptionist does. But she pays a far higher portion of her income in payroll taxes than I do. She's not complaining: Both of us know we were lucky to be born in America.

Now the Senate says that dividends should be tax free to recipients. Suppose this measure goes through and the directors of Berkshire Hathaway (which doesn't now pay a dividend) therefore decide to pay $1 billion in dividends next year. Owning 31 percent of Berkshire, I would receive $310 million in additional income, owe not another dime in federal tax, and see my tax rate plunge to 3 percent. And our receptionist? She'd still be paying about 30%,which means she would be contributing about 10 times the proportion of her income that I would to such government pursuits as fighting terrorism, waging wars and supporting the elderly. Let me repeat the point: Her overall federal tax rate would be 10 times what my rate would be.

When I was young, President Kennedy asked us to "pay any price, bear any burden" for our country. Against that challenge, the 3 percent overall federal tax rate I would pay if a Berkshire dividend were to be tax free seems a bit light. Administration officials say that the $310 million suddenly added to my wallet would stimulate the economy because I would invest it and thereby create jobs. But they conveniently forget that if Berkshire kept the money, it would invest that same amount, creating jobs as well.

The Senate's plan invites corporations indeed,virtually commands them to contort their behavior in a major way. Overall, it's hard to conceive of anything sillier than the schedule the Senate has laid out.

Indeed, the first President Bush had a name for such activities: "voodoo economics." The manipulation of enactment and sunset dates of tax changes is Enron-style accounting, and a Congress that has recently demanded honest corporate numbers should now look hard at its own practices. Proponents of cutting tax rates on dividends argue that the move will stimulate the economy.

A large amount of stimulus,of course, should already be on the way from the huge and growing deficit the government is now running. I have no strong views on whether more action on this front is warranted. But if it is, don't cut the taxes of people with huge portfolios of stocks held directly. (Small investors owning stock held through 401(k)s are already tax favored.)

Instead, give reductions to those who both need and will spend the money gained. Enact a Social Security tax "holiday" or give a flat sum rebate to people with low incomes. Putting $1,000 in the pockets of 310,000 families with urgent needs is going to provide far more stimulus to the economy than putting the same $310 million in my pockets. When you listen to tax cut rhetoric, remember that giving one class of tax payer a "break" requires now or down the line that an equivalent burden be imposed on other parties.

In other words, if I get a break, someone else pays. Government can't deliver a free lunch to the country as a whole. It can, however, determine who pays for lunch. And last week the Senate handed the bill to the wrong party. Supporters of making dividends tax free like to paint critics as promoters of class warfare. The fact is, however, that their proposal promotes class welfare. For my class."

Warren Buffett

254 comments:

  1. Good article Mike, and Buffett has to be one of the very few, who actually thinks wealthy need less.

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  2. The dollar wilted against other leading currencies on Wednesday as financial markets were rocked again by fears over subprime mortgages.

    Asian and European equity markets slumped, while the flight to safety lifted government bonds after Bear Stearns, the US investment bank, declared that its two subprime-focused hedge funds were ”virtually worthless”.

    The dollar hit a new low of $1.3833 against the euro, and a new 26-year trough against the pound at $2.0548.

    More of the Bush economy.

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  3. While risky mortgages are thought to have been central to the funds’ misfortunes, Bear’s letter said that “unprecedented declines in the valuations of a number of highly rated (AA and AAA) securities” contributed to June’s woeful performance.

    The more conservative of the two Bear Stearns funds was the older; established three years ago, it generated monthly gains of roughly 1 percent to 1.5 percent until March. Bear Stearns started the more leveraged fund last summer, just as the mania for mortgage securities was topping out. At their peak, the funds were valued at $16 billion, including the leverage that they used.

    More of the Bush economy.

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  4. For a man who has so much, he seems to have his head on right and different than most wealthy people, he seems to care about others.

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  5. Bernanke isnt talking too positively about the economy its all doom and gloom about the housing slump, declining dollar and high oil prices and inflation!

    I'd sure hate to be Bernanke I think he was a FOOL to take over the Fed now........He'll likely be the next Andrew Mellon!

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  6. Isnt it amazing that the REALLY smart and successful people the richest men in the world all say the opposite of what GWB and Cheney say.

    They oppose Bush's New World Order and "Voodoo Economics".

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  7. Another interesting point is how Buffet and Gates feel they shouldnt get a "free lunch" but rather should pick up the tab because they owe it to their country to pay their fair share...........While the greedy Neo Cons want to get a free lunch and stick the middle class with the bill!

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  8. The economy has done MUCH better under democratic administrations, GDP has been higher, unemployment has been lower and job creation has been higher and the distribution of wealth has been much better under democratic administrations.

    Under Bush the distribution of wealth has NEVER been more unfair........the real incomes for the poor and middle class have either decreased or stagnated while the income for the wealthy has gone up exponentially.

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  9. Even MORE telling is that while the income for the wealthy has increased exponentially their tax burden has gone down substantially while that of the poor and middle class has stayed roughly the same for the last 30 years since Reagan while their real incomes have declined.

    CEO's now make in many cases over 1000 times more than the average worker rather than 40 times the average worker like they did in the 1970's.....................many CEO's make hundreds of millions a year, Lee Rayond made over 400 million his last year at Exxon.

    Bush has brought back the Gilded Age and the Age of Robber Barons, particularly the oil Robber Barons.

    Companies like Exxon instead of investing in Alternate Energy or to increase production to help consumers, plays accounting games like propping up and managing its share price by propelling it higher with massive share buy backs.

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  10. Exxon shouldnt recieve tax breaks for buying back sharees to benefit its CEO's they should ONLY get tax breaks for benefitting consumers and society by investing in nalternate energy and increased production.

    Right now Exxon is a parasite getting unfair tax breaks with no productive return for that charity.

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  11. Same with the rich hedge fund managers, why should they get tax breaks and prefered tax treatment when the working class doesnt.......why should these fat cats pay LESS taxes than the middle class.......I cant think of ONE reason why.

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  12. Warren Buffet is supporting the Democrats running for president I dont think the second or third richest man in the world is anti business or capitalism........rather he KNOWS that the economies do MUCH better under democratic administrations who dont use "voodo economics" and value freedom and look to benefit society as a whole rather than a few greedy elites. with the democrats fairness and equality trumps cronnyism.

    Bush and Cheney have become the symbol for cronny capitalism and corporate fascism!

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  13. The "something for nothing" crowd like Chimpy, Paris Hilton, Doltron, and the like expect to have it all-good roads, great schools, prisons, fire and police protection, wars of choice.... but they don't want to have to PAY for any of it! That's COMMANISM, man!!!

    These scumbags are an entitlement class who are individually costing America more than 10,000 of the worst "welfare queens" of Limbaugh's imagination COMBINED.

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  14. Your absolutely right JR.........we need oversite on how OUR tax dollars are spent.

    We NEED to insure that our tax dollars are spent to benefit society as a whole in a fair way rather than allowing our government to waste and squander our tax dollars hiring morons to monitor and derail blogs and push a partian agenda with personal attacks and lies, not to mention the charity it is giving the fat cats at the oil companies and hedge funds who are not using OUR money in a productive way to benefit society fairly but instead use it to buy back shares to push their stock options "into the money" and/or give themselves a bigger bonus.

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  15. As Harry Truman once said, "If you want to live like a Republican, then vote Democratic."

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  16. NY Times:

    President Bush's top counterterrorism advisers acknowledged Tuesday that the strategy for fighting Osama bin Laden's leadership of Al Qaeda in Pakistan had failed, as the White House released a grim new intelligence assessment that has forced the administration to consider more aggressive measures inside Pakistan.

    How will Bush lie out of this!

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  17. Washington Post:

    White House officials arranged for top officials at the Office of National Drug Control Policy to help as many as 18 vulnerable Republican congressmen by making appearances and sometimes announcing new federal grants in the lawmakers' districts in the months leading up to the November 2006 elections, a Democratic lawmaker said yesterday.

    Rep. Henry A. Waxman (Calif.), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said documents obtained by his panel suggest that the appearances by the drug control officials were part of a larger White House effort to politicize the work of federal agencies that "may be more widespread than previously known."

    Waxman cited a memo written by former White House political director Sara M. Taylor showing that John P. Walters, director of the drug control office, and his deputies traveled at taxpayer expense to about 20 events with vulnerable GOP members of Congress in the three months leading up to the elections.

    Send Rove and Bush to prison!

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  18. Here is what Bernanke said Mike:

    AP:

    Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress Wednesday that the economy has emerged from its anemic spell, but overall growth for the year will be lower than expected. Inflation remains the chief concern, he said.

    Delivering a midyear Fed economic report to Capitol Hill, Bernanke struck a somewhat cautious tone. He suggested that the economy appears likely to expand "at a moderate pace" over the second half.

    More of the Bush economy!

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  19. BAGHDAD:
    A series of roadside bombs exploded early Wednesday in separate areas of east Baghdad, killing 11 people and wounding more than a dozen, police said. The U.S. military reported three more American soldiers had died in action in the Iraqi capital.

    "Surge" on Bush.

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  20. NEW YORK - Stocks retreated Wednesday as investors reacted uneasily to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s comments on the economy and news that two Bear Stearns Cos. hedge funds were essentially worthless. The Dow Jones industrials fell more than 100 points.

    More of the Bush economy!

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  21. I wouldn't rely on george bush to balance my check book. Like the article stated, he has for all means and purposes failed at everything he has done. Why would we think anything he says has validity?

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  22. Patricia:

    I agree, I wouldn't let that thief balance my dogs checkbook.

    He has ruined the economy and he has ruined more than one country.

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  23. "The art of leadership... consists in consolidating the attention of the people against a single adversary and taking care that nothing will split up that attention."


    Adolph Hitler

    Does this remind you of anyone?

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  24. Sure does, Larry.

    First, the subprime mortgage market not only inflated housing but allowed people to get more loans against equity- to either free up credit for more purchasing or to use that cash for purchasing. Houses have been leveraged for too long, a correction is overdue.

    There is a wisdom to risk guidelines, but like a loan shark- people can't walk away from the opportunities created by the poor, struggling, or people desperate to live beyond their means. Whatever the price.

    Perhaps we will someday get to a point where we can be happy in a modest home that meets our needs versus thinking we NEED a mcmansion regardless of the terms.

    * * *
    Regarding failure though, the rich elite do not care about American society. They are part of a global elite community now, drinking champagne in Dubai. That Carnegie notion of the wealthy giving back is over. I dont think they care about how their decisions impact people, but about profits for themselves.

    America is a tool, a wheel of consumption. A means to their ends. Things will change, we will not be the top market for long.

    * * * *

    And Larry I've been away, in a few different cities, etc. Nice to be back over here to check in with you guys. I missed the blog world!!!

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  25. Lynn:

    Good to see you back and I was just at your place and read your latest post.

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  26. its good to see someone with some celebrity have something to say.

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  27. Phil:

    You're right, especially someone with enough money and power to overthrow foreign governments.

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  28. Very good article. In answer to your question, I'd rather listen to Warren Buffet than Dumbya.

    Who Hijacked Our Country

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  29. Tom:

    I know what you mean. I would rather listen to a sewer pump than Bush.

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  30. Nearly 60 percent of readers who participated in a recent Military.com poll said the United States should withdraw its troops from Iraq now or by the end of 2008. More than 40 percent of the respondents agreed the pullout should begin immediately because "we're wasting lives and resources there."

    This is from the Military Times, of course Bush doesn't read that paper.

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  31. Listening to Chimpy is time wasted that could be better spent on more worthwhile pursuits, like cutting toenails or brushing your cat out.

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  32. Tom Harper said...
    Very good article. In answer to your question, I'd rather listen to Warren Buffet than Dumbya.

    Who Hijacked Our Country"

    I think most SANE people WOULD rather listen to Warren Buffet than the chimp!

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  33. WASHINGTON (CNN) — A frustrated Sen. John McCain snapped Wednesday when asked by CNN about his troubled presidential campaign and vowed he would no longer answer questions on that topic.

    “I’m not going to talk about my campaign anymore,” McCain said in a sharp tone. “I’m finished with talking about it. I’ve talked about it for two weeks. I will not discuss it or any aspect of it. Thank you.”

    McCain is a maniac.

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  34. Excellent post and comments, Mike. You did a great job in revealing how we gave socialism for the rich and free enterprise for the poor. Our tax code is regressive, not progressive.

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  35. Tomcat:

    Very profound. Regressive not progressive.

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  36. Jolly Roger said...
    The "something for nothing" crowd like Chimpy, Paris Hilton, Doltron, and the like expect to have it all-good roads, great schools, prisons, fire and police protection, wars of choice.... but they don't want to have to PAY for any of it! That's COMMANISM, man!!!

    These scumbags are an entitlement class who are individually costing America more than 10,000 of the worst "welfare queens" of Limbaugh's imagination COMBINED."

    Yeah Jolly, apparantly Bush is more concerned with protecting Paris Hiltons trust fund and inheritance than with insuring the working class have Social Security and a decent retirement or proper medical care.............it boggles the mind doesnt it how this cronny could get voted in when all he does it take care of and cater to a minute percentage of the elite...........i'm sure only the top 1% to 5% at MOST have benefitted under Bush!

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  37. Thanks Tomcat...........BTW, I like that "regressive" Moniker as well........thats a keeper.

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  38. The repugs are such hippocrites!

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  39. Jolly Roger has a unique way to describe Bush and the repugs.

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  40. BTW did you notice how the trolls are NO WHERE to be found, they cant deal with REAL facts and truth that they cant counter...............did you notice how Dolt ran away real quick on Sunday when the facts and truth came out...........the little troll didnt post ONE fact to address or counter ANYTHING I said while I shredded every one of the BS talking points he put out there.

    Little Duncetron isnt smart enough to hang with the bigboys..........he needs to hand with his own kind the brainwashed and mentally deficient like Moo Moo and Crusty the Clown and Troll Tex!

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  41. I think Duncetron is still reeling from the beat down I gave the little mental midget on Sunday........the frustrated little troll was upset........he was even too upset to slither back in with his sock puppets!

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  42. "He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it." Martin Luther King Jr.

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  43. Did you read the article Clif posted on the previous thread about the neocons hiring bloggers to attack progressive blogs?

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  44. On the previous thread, Carl
    posted a link to an advertisement for neocon bloggers.

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  45. Senate Republicans defeat Iraq withdrawal bill
    Democrats fail to get 60 votes needed to advance Iraq troop reduction bill

    AP Updated: 10:59 a.m. MT July 18, 2007
    WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans scuttled a Democratic proposal ordering troop withdrawals from Iraq in a showdown Wednesday that capped an all-night debate on the war.

    The 52-47 vote fell short of the 60 votes needed to cut off debate under Senate rules. It was a sound defeat for Democrats who say the U.S. military campaign, in its fifth year and requiring 158,000 troops, cannot tame the sectarian violence in Iraq.

    "We have to get us out of a middle of a civil war" said Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee. A political solution must be found "so when we leave Iraq, we don't just send our children home, we don't have to send our grandchildren back."
    As members cast their votes, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hurried between private meetings with lawmakers in their Capitol Hill offices to make the administration's case for the war.

    Unvoteable legislation
    The Democratic proposal, by Sens. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Jack Reed, D-R.I., would have required President Bush to start bringing home troops within 120 days and complete the pullout by April 30, 2008. Under the bill, an unspecified number of troops could remain behind to conduct a narrow set of missions: counterterrorism, protecting U.S. assets and training Iraqi security forces.

    Republicans were mostly unified in their opposition to sidetrack the legislation, with four exceptions. Three Republicans -- Sens. Gordon Smith of Oregon, Olympia Snowe of Maine and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska -- announced previously they support setting a deadline on the war.

    Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who is up for re-election next year, also voted to advance the bill. Spokesman Kevin Kelley said Collins believes the measure should be subject to a simple majority vote and not the 60 votes needed to end a filibuster. Kelley said the senator still opposes the legislation.

    Other GOP members, while uneasy about the war, said they could not support legislation that would force Bush to adhere to a firm pullout date.

    "The amendment tells our enemies when they can take over in Iraq," said Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., who is up for re-election next year.

    The bill "is the wrong approach at the wrong time," he added.

    Addressing troops in Afghanistan, the Pentagon's top general said that while it's fine for Americans to debate whether to continue the campaign in Iraq, the global war on terror will compel the nation to fight somewhere for at least another 20 to 30 years.

    "We can vote to fight it in one place or another. We can do whatever it it is we want to do to have a dialogue about how to fight this enemy," Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a meeting with soldiers that also was aired live for reporters at the Pentagon. "But the bottom line is that as long as our enemy is sworn to destroy our way of life, we are going to be in a war."

    The maneuvering occurred as the Senate debated a broad defense bill that includes a pay raise for the troops, revised regulations for detaining suspects in the war on terror and an increase in the size of the Army and Marines. Following the vote, Reid said he would suspend work on the measure, to which the Democrats sought to attach the troop withdrawal provision, until a date to be determined.

    Among lawmakers scheduled to meet with Rice were Biden, Smith, Sen. John Warner, R-Va., and House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio.

    24-hours of debate
    The vote came after a rare, round-the-clock session Democrats used to highlight Republican support for Bush's Iraq strategy. Republicans said the all-nighter was a useless political stunt.


    "All we have achieved are remarkably similar newspaper accounts of our inflated sense of the drama of this display and our own temporary physical fatigue," said Sen. John McCain of Arizona, presidential candidate and the top Republican on the Armed Services Committe.

    Most senators got a chance for a few hours of shuteye even while a handful of their colleagues took turns droning on through the night with floor speeches.

    With a half-dozen spectators watching from the gallery, Republicans Collins and Sen. John Thune of South Dakota were among those speaking during the long night, joined by Democrats Bob Menendez of New Jersey, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and Jim Webb of Virginia. McCain finished his speech around 4:10 a.m. He was followed by White House hopeful Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.

    While the issue was momentous -- a war more than four years in duration, costing more than 3,600 U.S. troops their lives -- the proceedings were thick with politics.

    MoveOn.org, the anti-war group, announced plans for more than 130 events around the country to coincide with the Senate debate, part of an effort to pressure Republicans into allowing a final vote on the legislation. A candlelight vigil and rally across the street from the Capitol was prominent among them, with Democratic leaders attending.

    On Tuesday, Republicans Smith and Snowe appeared with Democratic supporters of the legislation at a news conference.

    "We are at the crossroads of hope and reality, and the time has come to address reality," said Snowe, who said the Iraqi government was guilty of "serial intransigence" when it came to trying to solve the country's political problems.

    Smith, who is seeking re-election next year in Oregon, said Iraqis appeared focused on "revenge, not reconciliation," and that the administration needed to change its approach. "The American mission is to make sure that Iraq doesn't fall into the hands of al-Qaida," he said, rather than referee a civil war.

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  46. Thats what I was referring to Larry, when I said we NEED accountability for how our tax dollars are spent if Bush, the DOD or the Pentagon are squandering and wasting our tax dollars to derail, monitor and attack opposition blogs for partisan purposes then they NEED to be held accountable...............anyone who ISNT outraged by this doesnt have a pulse and isnt conscious!

    Politicizing the government and using tax dollars for partisan political purposes is treasonous!

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  47. Those raunchy Repugs who supposedely are now against the war, showed their true colors.

    They are nothing more than Trojan Trolls, much like the Trojan Troll who appears on this blog, with flowery words, and insincere support.

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  48. I've known the Neo Cons have been using renta trolls for a long time..........we all have thats what all the former trolls like FF, TT, Rusty, Volt etc were.............but the time for this riddiculous BS is OVER and its time for some accountability.

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  49. Mike:

    I haven't heard anything on the news, and little in print on this.

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  50. Read the article Clif posted. It sounds like they plan on flooding the blogosphere.

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  51. Same with the spying on Americans Bush is wasting a MASSIVE amount of resources and tax dollars to spy on Americans that could be used to fight REAL terrorists or pay down the deficit he ran up or shore up Social Security, implement universal healkth care or better fund education.

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  52. Donald Trump was on that Idiot Scarborough this morning, saying Condi is a waste that has never negotiated an agreement, and that the economy is in a major slump.

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  53. Larry said...
    Read the article Clif posted. It sounds like they plan on flooding the blogosphere."

    Theyve been doing this for Years......Worf or Clif posted last year
    that a guy on TP admitted to being a paid repug troll........................but if they DO surge it will be just as ineffective as their Monkey Messiah's surge.........we'll shoot down the ignorant little trolls lies and dishonest talking points just like we do to Duncetron, Fascist Fan, Troll Tex and the other morons for rent.

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  54. Look at the advertisement link Carl put up. It describes what kind of trolls they are looking for.

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  55. Dont you think people like Trump, Buffet, Gates should be listened to and are more credicle than a pack of fools like GWB, Cheney, Duncetron etc......those guys are laughingstocks who have been DEAD WRONG about EVERYTHING!

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  56. Larry said...
    Look at the advertisement link Carl put up. It describes what kind of trolls they are looking for."

    I saw that Larry........its pathetic!

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  57. The military is also hiring neocon bloggers to promote their worthless efforts to take over the world.

    Another waste of tax dollars, and another reason the economy is falling.

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  58. The repugs are a culture of corruption and the free ride or free roll is OVER the time to honor them or listen to them is finished........they are laughing stocks, dunces morons.....Dubcetron should go sit in the corner with a pointy hat on like his hero GWB!

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  59. Reuters:

    U.S. stocks fell on Wednesday on deepening concerns that a crisis in lending could spread and a warning from the Federal Reserve chairman that weakness in housing could hurt economic growth for some time.

    Disappointing results from technology bellwethers also weighed on stocks. Shares of Intel Corp. (INTC.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and Yahoo (YHOO.O: Quote, Profile, Research) fell nearly 5 percent after their quarterly scorecards fell short of some expectations.

    Bush's wonderful economy.

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  60. Larry said "
    The military is also hiring neocon bloggers to promote their worthless efforts to take over the world.

    Another waste of tax dollars, and another reason the economy is falling."


    They are politicizing the government and wasting tax dollars aqnd I believe they WILL be held accountable and pay the price for this........if not with jail time then in the 2008 and 2012 elections........but justice is coming....better late than never!

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  61. American Airlines, the nation's biggest carrier, saw its profits rise but still fell short of Wall Street's expectations. Parent company AMR Inc. blamed summer storms that caused flight cancelations and delays.

    Delta Air Lines Inc. broke into the black two months after emerging from bankruptcy protection with a lower cost structure. And Southwest Airlines Co. reported its 65th straight profitable quarter, but it earned 17 percent less than a year ago.

    All three reported heavy passenger loads. American's planes flew with a second-quarter record 83.6 percent of seats filled, partly because cancelations forced passengers on to fewer flights.

    Chairman and Chief Executive Gerard Arpey said third quarter bookings are running slightly ahead of last year's pace. American is trying to sell fewer discounted tickets far in advance, hoping to get higher prices closer to the departure date, which he said worked well over the summer.

    Southwest said it expected heavy traffic in July and early August, but CEO Gary C. Kelly said he was "a little concerned when we get to the second half of August ... knowing it's been a rocky year." He said his airline had been fooled when ticket demand softened this spring and didn't want to repeat the mistake.

    Bush is bad for the airlines.

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  62. Contractors hired to clean up after Hurricane Katrina are fuming over delays in getting paid by FEMA, and some politicians fear the red tape will discourage companies from bidding on the big rebuilding projects that lie ahead for New Orleans.

    Another Bush lie to the people of New Orleans.

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  63. Mike:

    Read Patriots latest post.

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  64. Tom Friedman has written a lot of dumb things in the past. It's worth separating the dumb things that are just idle ruminations from the dumb things that are simply factually wrong.

    In yesterday's New York Times, Friedman gave us another globalization whopper that shows that he hasn't a clue what is happening in China--and his comment had a tinge or racism in it to boot.
    In his column "The Green Road Less Traveled," Friedman writes:

    What can many U.S. companies still manufacture? They can manufacture things that are smart — that have a lot of knowledge content in them, like a congestion pricing network for a whole city.

    What do many Chinese companies manufacture? They manufacture things that can be made with a lot of cheap labor, like the rubber tires on your car. Which jobs are most easily outsourced? The ones vulnerable to cheap labor. Which jobs are hardest to outsource? Those that require a lot of knowledge.

    So what does all this mean? It means that to the extent that we make "green" standards part of everything we design and manufacture, we create "green collar" jobs that are much more difficult to outsource. I.B.M. and other tech companies are discovering a mother lode of potential new business for their high-wage engineers and programmers thanks to the fact that mayors all over the world are thinking about going green through congestion pricing systems.

    This is typical neocon thinking of the greatness of outsourcing U.S jobs to China.

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  65. Mike
    I read this earlier and just decided to say this guy doesn't have any intelligence and no one can accuse him having any.
    He is still in a coma from his drinking and drugging days. I believe AA calls it being mocus! He is just the tool being used to push this warped new order that will bite us all before too long. Larry has my manifesto to the world if you are curious. No Bush has no intelligence, he can't even talk let alone think as he has proven.
    I saw a video of him and his Father when he was President. The idiot was obviously messed up and acting pretty stupid so what do they do they elect the failure and he is now spreading his talents or lack there of.

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  66. Patriot:

    The lack of talent is the appropriate phrase.

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  67. Reuters:

    Oil jumped more than a dollar on Wednesday after a steep drop in U.S. gasoline stocks fanned concerns the world's top consumer could face a shortfall during the peak summer driving season.

    More of the Bush economy!

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  68. Reuters:

    A veto threat by President George W. Bush over a measure to expand a government health program for children triggered outrage on Wednesday from congressional Democrats and advocacy groups.

    A Senate panel is considering a proposal to boost funding for children's health insurance by $35 million, an expansion that would be funded by higher federal taxes on cigarettes.

    The State Children's Health Insurance Program, known as SCHIP, covers 6.1 million children in families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to pay for private insurance.

    Typical Bush reaction to poor children.

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  69. "Dick Cheney has ruined the job."

    -- Sen. Christopher Dodd, in a CNN interview, explaining why he doesn't want to be vice president.

    ReplyDelete
  70. A U.S. House of Representatives panel on Wednesday moved to end a treasured Republican program that allows private debt collectors to pursue tax debts owed to the U.S. government.

    The House Ways and Means Committee, on a mostly party line vote of 23-18, approved a bill ending the program enacted in 2004 by the then Republican-led Congress.

    Democrats, who now control Congress, and unions opposed the program, saying it was a costly way to collect tax debts that could more efficiently be collected by IRS employees.

    "The collection of taxes is a core government function," said Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat. "It is the Internal Revenue Service's mission. We found that, in addition to taxpayer harassment, this program wastes tax dollars by paying a bounty up to 24 percent to the debt collectors."

    Poor Repugs, they can't reap extra money as easily.

    ReplyDelete
  71. Larry said...
    "Dick Cheney has ruined the job."

    -- Sen. Christopher Dodd, in a CNN interview, explaining why he doesn't want to be vice president."

    He's ruined our country and is still at it!

    ReplyDelete
  72. Mike:

    Did you see Patriot was here looking for you about your post?

    ReplyDelete
  73. an average patriot said...
    Mike
    I read this earlier and just decided to say this guy doesn't have any intelligence and no one can accuse him having any.
    He is still in a coma from his drinking and drugging days. I believe AA calls it being mocus! He is just the tool being used to push this warped new order that will bite us all before too long. Larry has my manifesto to the world if you are curious. No Bush has no intelligence, he can't even talk let alone think as he has proven.
    I saw a video of him and his Father when he was President. The idiot was obviously messed up and acting pretty stupid so what do they do they elect the failure and he is now spreading his talents or lack there of.'


    You sure nailed this one Patriot.........Bush is a dry drunk punch drunk on his own PERCEIVED power and omnipotence.

    What video are you talking about, cause i'd like to see it even though it will probably sicken me.

    I'd REALLY like to see your Manifesto can you either get it to me through Larry or have him exchange our e-mails.

    ReplyDelete
  74. The House Wednesday evening overwhelmingly rejected President Bush's plan to eliminate the $420 million federal subsidy for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.


    The 357-72 vote demonstrated the enduring political strength of public broadcasting. The outcome was never in doubt, unlike a fight two years ago when Republicans tried but failed to slash public broadcasting subsidies.

    The move to kill subsidies for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which make up about 15 percent of its budget, was launched by Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo.

    Bill Moyers is safe: For Now!

    ReplyDelete
  75. As of Wednesday, July 18, 2007, at least 3,620 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 2,973 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.

    Happy Days for Bush!

    ReplyDelete
  76. The repugs hate Public Broadcasting they loathe it..........have you seen all the shows about Nazi's and Hitler the last year........the repugs KNOW they are Nazi clones following Hitlers plan to a tee and they hate PBS showing the similarities.

    ReplyDelete
  77. The Repugs put a neocon in charge of PBS and then tried to gut the funding to destroy it.

    Lets hope the funding lasts.

    ReplyDelete
  78. Bill Moyers has the best show on PBS. Last week it was about impeaching Bush.

    ReplyDelete
  79. I love PBS, and the History channel!

    ReplyDelete
  80. The History channel has lots on Hitler and the Nazis.

    ReplyDelete
  81. If I were the Dems I would keep painting the repugs in a corner so they have to choose between supporting GWB like good little goosestepping Nazi's or ending the war..........because come election time supporting Bush and the war will be a boat anchor around their necks..........I predict the Democrats win the White House and a SOLID majority in Congress that essentially makes the repugs irrelevant!

    ReplyDelete
  82. I hope you are right, but Lou Dobbs had a Zogby poll today that 14% were satisfied with Congress.

    Those are losing numbers.

    ReplyDelete
  83. WASHINGTON -- Higher food costs boosted U.S. inflation, while an indicator of future home construction was the weakest in a decade, signaling continuing deterioration in housing, reports showed Wednesday.
    U.S. consumer prices rose by a slightly bigger-than-expected 0.2 percent in June on higher food costs. But the increase in the more closely watched core price index, which strips out volatile food and energy prices, was directly in line with expectations.

    The pace of U.S. home construction rose 2.3 percent in June but building permit activity, a sign of future construction plans, sank to its lowest rate in 10 years according to government data, flagging further weakness in the lackluster housing market.

    "Home builders have hardened to the fact that housing will not recover soon," said Christopher Low, chief economist with FTN Financial in New York.

    More of the faltering Bush economy!

    ReplyDelete
  84. Low BECAUSE they havent been able to stop the War or impeach Bush, Cheney and Gonzalez........the repugs are the primary source of that displeasure.

    ReplyDelete
  85. Its aweful quiet tonight, I wonder where, Bartlebe, Sq, JR and MCH are?

    ReplyDelete
  86. I haven't seen Clif on any blogs today, and Jolly has a new post on his blog.

    Suzie is on her blog, but she hasn't been here.

    ReplyDelete
  87. Yeah, Clif must be busy today.........i'm going to pop over into Larry Johnson's No Quarter Blog now.......Clif said Larry Johnson was going to post his article today!

    ReplyDelete
  88. I'm running the blogs.

    ReplyDelete
  89. CIA Leak Case Timeline
    By The Associated Press
    Tuesday, June 5, 2007
    Printable Version
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    (0)



    (06-05) 11:18 PDT , (AP) --
    A timeline of events leading up to the conviction of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby on charges stemming from the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's name.
    _Jan. 28: President Bush asserts in his State of the Union address: "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."
    _March 19-20: The U.S.-led invasion of Iraq begins.
    _May 6: New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof reports that a former ambassador, whom he does not name, had been sent to Niger in 2002 and reported to the CIA and State Department well before Bush's speech that the uranium story was unequivocally wrong and was based on obviously forged documents.
    _May 29: Libby asks Marc Grossman, an undersecretary of state, for information about the ambassador's travel to Niger. Grossman later tells Libby that Joseph Wilson was the former ambassador.
    _June 11 or 12: Grossman tells Libby that Wilson's wife works at the CIA and that State Department personnel are saying Wilson's wife was involved in planning the trip. A senior CIA officer gives him similar information, as does Cheney's top press aide, Cathie Martin, who had learned it from CIA spokesman Bill Harlow.
    _June 11 or 12: Cheney advises Libby that Wilson's wife works at the CIA.
    _June 13: Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward interviews Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage for a book. Armitage tells Woodward in a taped interview that Wilson's wife works for the CIA.
    _June 14: Libby meets with a CIA briefer and discusses "Joe Wilson" and his wife, "Valerie Wilson."
    _June 23: Libby meets with Times reporter Judith Miller. During the meeting, Miller says, Libby tells her that Wilson's wife might work at a bureau of the CIA. Libby denies saying that.
    _July 6: The New York Times publishes an opinion piece by Wilson under the headline "What I Didn't Find in Africa" and he appears on NBC's "Meet the Press." Wilson said he doubted Iraq had recently obtained uranium from Niger and thought Cheney's office was told of the results of his trip.
    _July 7: Libby meets with then-White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer. Fleischer says Libby tells him that Wilson's wife works at the CIA and that the information is "hush hush." Libby denies that.
    _July 8: Libby meets with Miller again. She recalls Libby saying he believes Wilson's wife works for the CIA. Libby denies telling her that.
    _ July 8: Columnist Robert Novak interviews Armitage, who tells him that Wilson's wife works for the CIA. Novak says this was confirmed the next day by White House political adviser Karl Rove.
    _July 10: Libby calls NBC newsman Tim Russert to complain about a colleague's news coverage. At the end of the conversation, Libby says, Russert tells him that "all the reporters know" that Wilson's wife works at the CIA. Libby says he was surprised to hear that. Russert denies saying it.
    _July 11: Fleischer, on a presidential trip to Africa, tells two reporters that Wilson's wife works for the CIA. Rove tells Time Magazine's Matthew Cooper that Wilson's wife works for the CIA.
    _July 12: Libby speaks to Cooper and confirms to him that he has heard that Wilson's wife was involved in sending Wilson on the trip. Libby also speaks to Miller and discusses Wilson's wife and says that she works at the CIA. Libby claims he told Cooper and Miller he only knew about Plame from talking to other reporters.
    _July 12: Walter Pincus of the Washington Post says Fleischer tells him that Wilson's wife works at the CIA. Fleischer doesn't recall that.
    _July 14: Columnist Novak reports that Wilson's wife is a CIA operative on weapons of mass destruction and that two senior administration officials, whom Novak did not name, said she suggested sending her husband to Niger to investigate the uranium story.
    _Sept. 26: A criminal investigation is authorized to determine who leaked Plame's identity to reporters. Disclosing the identity of CIA operatives is illegal. A short time later, Armitage tells investigators that he may have inadvertently leaked Plame's identity to Woodward.
    _Oct. 14 and Nov. 26: Libby is interviewed by FBI agents.
    _Dec. 30: U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald in Chicago, an aggressive career prosecutor, is named to head the leak investigation after then-Attorney General John Ashcroft takes himself out of the case to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.
    2004:
    _January: A grand jury begins investigating possible violations of federal criminal laws.
    _March 5 and March 24: Libby testifies before the grand jury. In a tape of his testimony, Libby tells jurors that he forgot the information about Plame working for the CIA until he heard it from Russert. Anything he told reporters, he says, was just chatter passed on from that conversation.
    2005:
    _Oct. 28: Libby is indicted on five counts: obstruction of justice and two counts each of false statement and two counts of perjury.
    2006:
    _Sept. 7: Armitage admits he leaked Plame's identity to Novak and to Bob Woodward of The Washington Post. Armitage says he did not realize Plame's job was covert.
    2007:
    _Jan. 16: Jury selection begins in Libby's trial.
    _Jan. 23: Prosecution and defense lawyers make opening statements to the jury and U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton.
    _Feb. 20: Prosecution and defense attorneys make closing statements.
    _Feb. 21: Jurors begin deliberations.
    _March 6: Jurors return guilty verdicts on charges of obstruction, perjury and lying to the FBI. A not guilty verdict was returned on one count of lying to an FBI agent.
    _June 5: Walton sentences Libby to 2 1/2 years in prison.

    ReplyDelete
  90. Check out the leak case......some interesting stuff...........Libby is a guilty as sin treasonous SOB!

    ReplyDelete
  91. Rocky Mountain News:

    Foreclosures likely as loan rates reset
    Feds address problems in subprime home loans
    Real estate guru to head CSU center
    July 18, 2007
    Don't expect the rate of home foreclosures to lessen anytime soon.
    Three years ago, many people financed their home purchases when interest rates were at their lowest, and many used variable rate mortgages with low teaser rates that adjust upward after three years.

    Gretchen Morgenson, finance writer for The New York Times, wrote a column last month titled, "Beware of Exploding Mortgages." Here are some of the salient points she made:

    • During the next five years, some $1 trillion in adjustable-rate mortgages will be reset.

    • From June to October this year, more than $100 billion of that amount will be reset, and all of it is in loans that are in the riskier subprime category.

    • Many of those that once carried low teaser rates are on track to be reset at 11 percent - more than 4 percentage points higher than the current rate on a conventional 30-year home loan.

    • It's too early to estimate how many home foreclosures will take place as a result, but last year there were 1.2 million, according to RealtyTrac, an online real estate data base.

    • In one index of mortgages that tracks 20 loan pools issued in the second half of 2005 - a subset of an index called ABX - some 42 percent of those loans are about to hit the reset button on their interest rates.

    • Delinquencies in ABX loan pools have already started ballooning.

    A Morgan Stanley analysis shows 8 percent of mortgage loans in pools put together in the latter part of 2005 were more than 60 days delinquent in May.

    • Almost 4 percent of the loans made in the second half of 2006 were more than two months delinquent - double the delinquency rate for loans made one year earlier and at the same point in their terms.

    • Fully 35 percent of the most recently issued loan pools in the index have delinquency rates that exceed the target levels specified when they were sold to investors.

    • For loans made in the first half of 2006, three-quarters are exceeding their delinquency targets.

    • Many of the loans taken out most recently are held by people who probably have little or no equity in their homes.


    The Bush economy is crashing in 2008!

    ReplyDelete
  92. Libby is guilty and the press are making him look like a poor victim.

    ReplyDelete
  93. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  94. If Harry Reid really meant it, if he really wanted to end this war, he’d badger the republicans to no end. After all he’s the majority leader. Why stop at one night? Why take the bill off the floor? Why not force vote after vote until the republicans pass it? Why cancel voting until 5 AM? Why not force everyone to stay up all night? Why not cancel the upcoming 5 week vacation and force the congress to hold vote after vote after vote?

    You know the republicans would.

    They’d be merciless, until the dems caved if they had the majority. The fact is Harry Reid is weak, and uncomitted, as is Steney Hoyer and Nancy Pelosi. If we want to beat the republicans at anything we’d better come up with someone a little tougher than these 3.

    ReplyDelete
  95. What we need is a Blake from “Glen Garry Glen Ross” (played by Alec Baldwin of course) to kick the democratic congress in the seat of the pants.

    I’m serious. Look at Jack Lemmon’s character and then look at Harry Reid. We need someone like Alec Baldwin to walk into the Capital, and just read them the riot act like he did in Glen Garry Glen Ross.

    Put that coffee DOWN…!

    Coffee’s for closers…..

    You think I’m f#$king with you?…

    … I am not f#$cking with you…

    ReplyDelete
  96. Could you see Harry Reids face as he’s reaching for the non dairy creamer?



    The good news is you’re fired.

    The bad news is…. you’ve got… you’ve all got, just one week to regain your jobs starting TONIGHT.,…starting with tonight’s sit.

    Oh….., … have I got your attention now?


    :|

    ReplyDelete
  97. Nice guy? …I don’t give a sh$t.

    Good father; f#$k you, go home and play with your kids.

    :|


    You want to work here, then CLOSE!

    ReplyDelete
  98. Reid put on a political theater thinking the public is too stupid to think otherwise.

    Thst's why Congress has a 14% approval.

    ReplyDelete
  99. For dolty Boy and therest of the gutless chicken hawks, this one is for you;

    (watch the video)

    Generation Chickenhawk: the Unauthorized College Republican Convention Tour

    On July 13, 2007, I visited Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery, where the bodies of American soldiers killed in Iraq were freshly interred. Afterwards, I headed across the street to the Sheraton National Hotel, owned by right-wing Korean cult leader Sun Myung-Moon, to meet some of the war's most fervent supporters at the College Republican National Convention.

    In conversations with at least twenty College Republicans about the war in Iraq, I listened as they lip-synched discredited cant about "fighting them over there so we don't have to fight them over here." Many of the young GOP cadres I met described the so-called "war on terror" as nothing less than the cause of their time.

    Yet when I asked these College Repulicans why they were not participating in this historical cause, they immediately went into contortions. Asthma. Bad knees from playing catcher in high school. "Medical reasons." "It's not for me." These were some of the excuses College Republicans offered for why they could not fight them "over there." Like the current Republican leaders who skipped out on Vietnam, the GOP's next generation would rather cheerlead from the sidelines for the war in Iraq while other, less privileged young men and women fight and die.

    Along with videographer Thomas Shomaker, I captured a vivid portrait of the hypocritical mentality of the next generation of Republican leaders. See for yourself.


    (watch the video)

    ReplyDelete
  100. Reed and Pelosi are pitifully weak...........if it were i'd paint the repugs in a corner i'd make em vote to keep the war going EVERY day of the week so come election time if they didnt end the war they would have a boat anchor around their neck.

    ReplyDelete
  101. Read that timeline Libby is guilty as sin!

    ReplyDelete
  102. The repugs should be tarred and feathered for not supporting the troops........they voted down bills for pay raises and to limit the tours and extensions...........so much for supporting the troops!

    ReplyDelete
  103. Mike go to the link I put up and

    WATCH the VIDEO, it is priceless...........

    ReplyDelete
  104. I just did..........what a bunch of gutless chicken hawks like Duncetron and Fascist Fan and Troll Tex and Crusty.......oh and lets not forget Goo Goo, the gutless loser that reads about war but is too gutless to actually go fight one.

    ReplyDelete
  105. I think dolty was the guy in the white T shirt, don't you?

    ReplyDelete
  106. Y'all don't get it, do you?

    These days the people who sign up (like me, not too long ago) are from what are usually called "challenging circumstances." No money in the family, rotten schools with "guidance counselors" who spend all their time on Chip and Buffy, no real prospects for employment and no knowledge of things like Pell grants (which I assuredly would have qualified for. I didn't know they even existed.) We're "them," the folks from the wrong side of the tracks. To the scum like Chimpy, Shooter, Newt, Kristol, today's College Republicans, and the like, we wound up in uniforms because we were "too stupid" to avoid it (a quote from none other than the Chicken Hawk Fever master, Ted Nugent.) What does it matter how many of the riffraff get blown to bits? They put a yellow magnet on the Excursion-WTF else would we need from them?

    ReplyDelete
  107. jr I get it;

    and I also rub it in their faces.....

    ReplyDelete
  108. jr I get it;

    and I also rub it in their faces.....


    The "y'all don't get it" was sarcasm ;)

    If anyone would understand, it'd be you. You've undoubtedly had to see a lot more of it than I have.

    ReplyDelete
  109. jr that is why I will never let them have a free pass on thisd one.

    I would let the troops down if I let the reichwing chicken hawks get a free pass to send them into harms way,

    then run and hide in mommy's basement..

    ReplyDelete
  110. Btw what ever happened to Duncetron and his "son" going over to Iraq.......guess thats as brave as the Reich Wing gets.......just talking about it the gutless punks are ALL talk and NO action........maybe thats why they gotta pay for it and are on the DC Madams list!

    ReplyDelete
  111. jr that is why I will never let them have a free pass on thisd one.

    I would let the troops down if I let the reichwing chicken hawks get a free pass to send them into harms way,

    then run and hide in mommy's basement..


    To have actually been in the position of having to roll sharpens one's sensitivities to the notion.

    I know exactly what's going through the minds of a lot of those kids. The fear, the "wtf am I even doing here anyway," the dread, the anticipation that is a combination of thrill and fright.

    I was lucky enough to not have any shots fired at me. Some of the folks I worked with and lived with were not. Given what I saw could happen to guys who only spent a few months in hot zones, I really feel for the people sent back into Chimpy's meat grinder 4 and 5 times.

    ReplyDelete
  112. jr those kids will be as destroyed as the lost generation from the trenches of WW1

    ReplyDelete
  113. look how brainwashed those college repugs are its like watching modern day Volksturm!

    ReplyDelete
  114. Their only hope is the American people do a much better job of admitting they OWE each and everyone of them everything they need, and make sure they get it,

    unlike what happened to the Vietnam vets and to a much lesser dergee the Gulf war vets,

    But if the experiernce of the Iraq and Afghanistan vets so far, is any indicationso far,

    I have few illusions they will ever get what they rightly diserve.


    The US government has a piss poor track record of treating the veterans of tyhe wars the vets fight very well, stretching back to the revolution itself.

    ReplyDelete
  115. Here is a pathetic statement:

    This is the kind of content we have to look forward to as Fox prepares to launch the Fox Business Channel. From this past weekend's "Forbes on Fox", the panelists just got done answering the ludicrous question of whether the uptick in the stock market was a "major" victory over Al Qaeda (because clearly a bull market is the best way to avenge 9/11) and then the conversation went even further off the rails as Fox News contributor and Forbes Magazine publisher Rich Karlgaard asserted that the deaths of U.S. troops in Iraq wasn't so bad because, hey, they volunteered to serve their country.

    This is how Fox News feels about the troops. Sickening.

    ReplyDelete
  116. WASHINGTON -- Tens of thousands of public comments supporting Net Neutrality flooded the Federal Communications Commission before the close of the agency's official inquiry yesterday. In a landslide, well over 95 percent of the comments called for rules that prohibit phone and cable companies from discriminating against Web sites or services.

    People from different backgrounds, living in every corner of the country, demand this basic Internet freedom. Internet users from all 435 congressional districts used SavetheInternet.com's online tools to send personal messages to the FCC.

    "I am living the American dream because of Network Neutrality -- my games have been used in thousands of schools all over the world," says Karen Chun, a single mother and owner of a successful online educational games business. "Without Net Neutrality, my little Web site would have been consigned to oblivion because I wouldn't have been able to pay the fees the ISPs want to charge."

    Net Neutrality supporters include a broad range of small business owners, students, churchgoers, bloggers, political candidates, educators and activists who say that protecting Net Neutrality is fundamental to their family life, work and interests.

    "In rural America, the Internet is very important in staying informed," wrote Charles and Carol Swigart of Huntingdon, Pa. "We read several national newspapers every day to get the news our local paper does not thoroughly cover. All persons who publish on the Internet should have an equal opportunity to have their voices heard."

    Pressure them now, or Bush will totally censure the net.

    ReplyDelete
  117. Reuters:

    Oil resumed its march towards record highs, climbing above $77 a barrel on Thursday after a surprise drop in gasoline stocks in the United States and heightened supply concerns in Africa

    More of the Bush economy.

    ReplyDelete
  118. (MarketWatch) -- Hershey Co., the largest U.S. candymaker, said second-quarter profit tumbled, hurt by restructuring costs and higher dairy prices.
    Net income fell to $3.55 million, or 1 cent a share, from $97.9 million, or 41 cents, a year earlier, the Hershey, Pa.-based company said Thursday. Sales were flat at $1.05 billion.
    Not counting restructuring costs of 34 cents a share, Hershey (HSY : Hershey Foods Corporation
    News , chart , profile , more
    Last: 49.94-0.22-0.44%

    8:12am 07/19/2007

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    Sponsored by:
    HSY49.94, -0.22, -0.4%) said it earned $81.7 million, or 35 cents, matching the average estimate of analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial.
    Hershey is taking charges to cut the number of its production lines by more than one third, to outsource the manufacturing of less profitable items and to build a factory in Mexico to meet emerging market demands.

    Another example of the Bush economy and outsourcing jobs elsewhere.

    ReplyDelete
  119. Here is what Bush has done to the dollar:

    We are literally about half a point from seeing the US Dollar break its single most important support level. Here, eighty is the magic number, watch the USD fall below 80 and you have witnessed the beginning of the end of the dollar and the dawn of a terrific run in gold prices that will take the yellow metal to an all time high in a surprisingly short period of time.

    Over the last year,we have watched the dying dollar make lower lows and lower highs. The USD occasionally makes a pathetic attempt to break its 200dma, but that has only happened a couple of times over the last year. Indeed, the USD has not been above its 200 day moving average since the 50dma crashed down through the 200dma in early April 2006.

    The USD has fallen over two points in the last fortnight or so, and this rate of decline will continue if it breaks the support level at 80. When the USD was testing this support at the beginning of 2005, it went on a terrific run to 92.63 but somehow we do not think that the dollar will be able to pull another rabbit out the hat as it did then. More and more investors are coming around to the fact that the USD is dead and people do not want to hold this rapidly devaluing paper anymore. When the USD breaks 80, the whole world will see a big sell signal and this influx of people dumping dollars will send the greenback down into the abyss and its anyone’s guess how far it can fall, but it will fall…a lot.

    However there is one fan of the USD, a fan that will try and keep the dollar up or at least “manage” its invertible collapse. That of course is the US Government. Armed with Ben Bernanke’s Plunge Protection Team, you can bet you bottom dollar (although shortly it might not be worth much) that they will do everything possible to make sure their currency does not have a full blown crash. They would rather that USD gradually floated down in a way that would benefit US exporters. Trying to manipulate the market is a dangerous game, as no person, company or government is bigger than the market and eventually the market will fight back and win.

    In fact the more an entity tries to suppress something, whether this be the financial market or something as simple as an idea, the more drastically the suppressed force will fight back. Therefore all the Plunge Protection Team are doing by trying to prop up the dollar or the stock market is delaying the invertible and making the backlash reaction all the more dramatic. You can try to push the bad times back, but this will just make the bad times worse when they eventually come around.

    It is crucial to remember that the United States on America is not the only government with an interest in which way the dollar goes. With their hands on over $1.2 trillion dollar bills, the Chinese Government must also be watching the USD like hawks having lost $100 billion of value in less than a year. The government in China is very concerned at keeping “social unrest” at a minimum so how do you think the Chinese people will react if the USD continues declining further and further down bringing their foreign currency reserves closer and closer to worthlessness. China must be looking to transfer their dollars into something that retains its value or perhaps even increases in value, after all isn’t that what investments are supposed to do?

    China will look to get out of dollars and into anything that isn’t falling as fast as the USD. The private equity group Blackstone, made the biggest US IPO of the year recently and Beijing swiftly swooped in and bought a 9.9% stake in the company, using $3 billion of its foreign exchange reserves. It is likely that we will see more examples like this of China buying companies, commodities and whatever they can to get out of the dollar. Gold and silver bullion or the mining companies in the precious metals industry are obvious candidates for a piece of China’s USD pie as they move up and as the greenback moves down so they are the most logical hedge against a declining dollar.

    If China and other countries holding large USD reserves shift even a small proportion of their dollars into the precious metals, it will have massive effect on gold prices and silver prices. Governments aside, individuals around the world will be looking to trade any dollars they have for a piece of gold or some gold stocks rapidly increasing in value.

    ReplyDelete
  120. Four U.S soldiers were killed in Iraq today.

    Are you happy Bush!

    ReplyDelete
  121. and then the conversation went even further off the rails as Fox News contributor and Forbes Magazine publisher Rich Karlgaard asserted that the deaths of U.S. troops in Iraq wasn't so bad because, hey, they volunteered to serve their country.

    That's been the scumbag Chimpleton meme for years.

    Somebody show me even one soldier that "volunteered" to be thrown back into Iraq 4 and 5 times, or stop-lossed and prevented from getting out. Even one.

    When we signed up, unspoken but heavily implied was that the political leadership would not just piss us away. The so-called leadership has clearly failed their end of the deal.

    ReplyDelete
  122. Anyone see Lil Bush last night.........that show is priceless.

    ReplyDelete
  123. Your right Larry, if the dollar drops further the deterioration could pick up momentum as foreigners dump MORE dollars..........my prediction is that the Euro hits 1.40 this year.

    ReplyDelete
  124. Your right Larry, if the dollar drops further the deterioration could pick up momentum as foreigners dump MORE dollars..........my prediction is that the Euro hits 1.40 this year.

    Hell, that'll happen in the next few DAYS.

    Heckuva job, Chimpy.

    ReplyDelete
  125. Ok, here's the deal guys. I poured my heart out on the last blog and was pretty much blatantly ignored -- not a single comment. In fact, Ive done that quite a few times and the only one responding is Voltron. Since joining Ive been accused of being a troll, gotten a couple of nasty emails, and pushed to the curb. I've tried to contribute and been treated like a Republican. I apologized for wasting everybody's time and my post got deleted. I got the point, message received loud and clear -- go somewhere else.

    Good luck to all. Lydia, I will buy your book.

    Bye guys

    ReplyDelete
  126. Thanks Larry and Mike. Feel free to keep it on tap. I have a few ideas for a progressive tax code. I'll trot it out some day. It will never be adopted. It would send hundreds of thousands of tax attorneys reeling into the unemployment lines.

    ReplyDelete
  127. MCH, I'm sorry you fee that way. I never noticed your posts, because this place moves so fast, I only have time to skim. The experience I have had here was the opposite of yours.

    ReplyDelete
  128. NEW YORK - U.S. economic growth is likely to slow in coming months as the ongoing slump in the housing industry takes a deeper toll on businesses and consumers, a gauge of future business activity showed Thursday.

    The Conference Board said its index of leading economic indicators fell 0.3 percent in June, higher than the 0.1 percent drop analysts were expecting and more than reversing last month's revised growth of 0.2 percent.

    The Conference Board report, designed to forecast economic activity over the next three to six months, tracks 10 economic indicators.

    More of the faltering Bush economy!

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  129. "We will never have peace in the world until men everywhere recognize that ends are not cut off from means, because the means represent the ideal in the making, and the end in process, and ultimately you can't reach good ends through evil means, because the means represent the seed and the end represents the tree." Martin Luther King Jr.

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  130. BAGHDAD:

    Five U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi interpreter have been killed in separate combat incidents, the U.S. military said Thursday.

    A Task Force Marne soldier was killed by small arms fire Thursday near the village of Rushdi Mullah, southwest of the capital, the military said.

    Four soldiers and their Iraqi interpreter were killed Wednesday when a roadside bomb exploded near their patrol in east Baghdad, it said in a separate statement.

    "Surge on Bush"

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  131. 49 US deaths so far this month. 1,130 Iraqis killed so far this month, and it's only the 19th.

    Are you happy Bush!

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  132. I don't think anyone meant to slight anyone; the commentary here is difficult to keep up with.

    Everyone has been ignored here at one time or another. It seems to go with the territory; everything's busy, moving on.

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  133. A federal judge just dismissed the Valerie Plame civil case against the Bush administration.


    Another win for those who stole America.

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  134. Mike said...
    Anyone see Lil Bush last night.........that show is priceless.


    Yea, I did.

    I'm still laughing.

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  135. MCH, I think you might be being a bit sensitive here, I have responded to your comments before, in fact I meant to respond to one of your posts I thought was good this past Sunday but got into it hot and heavy with Volt and it got burried and it slipped my mind.............sometimes when there are rapid fire comments like there were Sunday things get burried........particularly when you dont regularly spend much time here or on other liberal blogs.........I dont think anyone meant to slight you I usually agree with most of your posts and try to respond.

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  136. BARTLEBEE said...
    A federal judge just dismissed the Valerie Plame civil case against the Bush administration.


    Another win for those who stole America."


    Yeah, they may as well tip over the Statue of Liberty and the Scales of Justice because Justice and Liberty are essentially dead under Bush the tyranical dictator.

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  137. Larry said...
    "We will never have peace in the world until men everywhere recognize that ends are not cut off from means, because the means represent the ideal in the making, and the end in process, and ultimately you can't reach good ends through evil means, because the means represent the seed and the end represents the tree." Martin Luther King Jr."

    Bush just like Hitler before him believes the ends ALWAYS justify the means no matter WHAT needs to be know to push his twisted self serving agenda.

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  138. BTW MCH, who sent you threatening e-mails..........I dont know what your trying to imply or say...........do you think some of the trolls threatened you....because as I've said we've had issues with them before but No regular on this blog would threaten you.......would you mind posting these e-mails so we could see them?

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  139. BTW, we dont treat republicans bad here MCH........lying trolls that try to threaten and derail are another story........but we are always open to different perspectives and opinions........Lydia's husband is a republican, and my best friend is a republican so people arent maligned or attacked for having different beliefs or perspectives unless those perspectives are based on lies or cause injury or death etc......we are more than willing to debate real issues with republicans but it needs to be fact based and truthful...........when the lies and personal attacks to divert from the real issues start the trolls dont get any respect or nice treatment back if they dont give it and there lies and personal attacks will be deleted.

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  140. Reuters:

    Former President Bill Clinton on Thursday criticized President George W. Bush's administration for failing in Iraq, saying their was no evidence of much-needed political or diplomatic progress.

    "The point is, that there is no military victory here," he said in an interview on ABC's Good Morning America.

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  141. Keith Olbermann will have another "Special Comment" tonight, about the Valerie Plame case.

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  142. CBS) While Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked a Democratic bid to force a vote on U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq, a CBS News/New York Times poll finds a majority of Americans think Congress should not continue to fund the war unless a timetable for withdrawal is put in place.

    Sixty-one percent of Americans surveyed think the war should be funded only if there's a timetable for withdrawal. Twenty-eight percent say funding should be continued without a timetable, while 8 percent think all funding for the war should be blocked, no matter what.

    Of course Bush could care less about the will of the masses.

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  143. The Blackstone Group, the big buyout firm, has devised a way for its partners to effectively avoid paying taxes on $3.7 billion, the bulk of what it raised last month from selling shares to the public.

    Although they will initially pay $553 million in taxes, the partners will get that back, and about $200 million more, from the government over the long term.

    The plan, laid out in the fine print of Blackstone’s financial documents, comes as Congress debates how much managers at private equity firms like Blackstone and hedge funds should pay in taxes on their compensation.

    Prime example of Corporate America and taxes.

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  144. Bill Gates, and Warren Buffett, know that their wealth can do good. Gates contributes a lot to AIDS care for children. The imbalances in the US are staggering, and yes, it is a good article.

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  145. Thanks for the comment Divajood and you're right, there are a few wealthy people who share some of their wealth with the needy.

    Unlike Rupert Murdoch who uses his to further his desire to control the world.

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  146. Ok, was in a bad mood last night and today for other reasons and so I have been a trifle over-sensitive so for that I do apologize. Real life has a way of intruding on my internet life at times.

    As for the emails, I have long since deleted them ... they used Larry's, Jolly Roger's and Worf's names. Not knowing anybody's email address .. and one of mine being public until relatively recently ... and wanting to give everybody the benefit of the doubt ... and you guys are a lot more fun than some of the other blogs ... and Voltron is too much fun to smack down (of course, he makes it SO easy) ... I suppose it is entirely possible that I was fooled by pretenders. Damn, hate when that happens.

    Oh and no disrespect intended for the "good" rank and file Republicans who in their own way only want what they feel is best for this country. I intended to use my usual Redumblican moniker for the "All Hail Dick Cheney" crowd and forgot.

    Sorry guys.

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  147. mch,

    Did you look at the headers to see where they came from? Perhaps someone's ISP needs to be informed of his bad citizenship.

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  148. Rising violence tests Musharraf
    By Shahan Mufti
    Thu Jul 19, 4:00 AM ET
    Islamabad, Pakistan

    In the week since the siege at the Red Mosque left at least 100 religious students dead in Pakistan's capital, a series of violent attacks appears to have emboldened the militant and political opposition to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

    The latest guerrilla assault on a Pakistani military convoy, which left at least 17 soldiers dead in North Waziristan Wednesday, follows a string of daily attacks on Pakistan's security forces in the restive northwestern tribal regions. The spike in antigovernment violence in northwestern Pakistan follows the breakdown of a peace agreement between the government and local Taliban leaders in the tribal areas, which had been in effect since September 2006.

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  149. For those of you familiar with me you will know that I have written extensively on what we are starting to see in Pakistan right now. As I have said 1000 times now, while we're off fighting a war in Iraq that had nothing to do with Al Quaida, Bin Laden and his gang have been living safely on the borders of Pakistan and India, in a little place called "Kashmir".

    Because Bin Laden enjoys an 70 to 80 percent approval rating in Pakistan, and Musharraf is barely hanging on, all Bin Laden has to do, is stir up the 3 quarters of the country who supports him, and then march into Pakistan, gathering his army as he goes. Once he overthrows Musharraf, and grabs the nukes, then we'll have ourselves a ball game.

    No one paid attention to me 2 or 3 years ago when I was warning about this in here, and elsewhere, but I got a feeling people are going to start paying more attention to this scenario over the coming months.

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  150. Pakistan has always been the enemy of the U.S, if I'm not mistaken.

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  151. "Whoever the planners are behind this, their aim was to create turmoil in Pakistan," says Rasul Baksh Rais, a political analyst at the Lahore University of Management Sciences.

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  152. Larry said...
    Pakistan has always been the enemy of the U.S, if I'm not mistaken.


    Not right now they're not supposed to be, officially anyway. Musharraf has been backed by the the Bush administration and since 911 is offically a partner in the war on terror.

    Unoffically of course, Musharraf, who is a partner with the US, is barely hanging on to his power, and I have been predicting for 3 years now that the Bin Laden supporters will overthrow Musharraf and take control of the nukes. I sincerely hope I am wrong, because this would be bad on many, many levels.

    The problem is we didn't go after Bin Laden. We needed to root them out of Kashmir, (or preferably stop them before the went in).

    Now we could be screwed.

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  153. Bush has Turkey getting ready to backdoor him to the Iraqi oil fields, and now Pakistan getting ready to explode, he has created the mess you predicted.

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  154. I had always been under the assumption that Pakistan hated the U.S before 9/11.

    Now they like the U.S dollars, but still hate the same.

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  155. Now the idiots like Voltron will come in and claim I'm wishing for this to happen, just like they idioticlly claim we "want the terrorists to win" when we predicted disaster in Iraq 3 years ago.

    But its bullshit.

    By that logic, a doctor who predicts a patient will contract lukemia, is "wishing" the patient would contact lukemia.

    Republicans like Voltron are the worst enemy this country has.

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  156. I agree with that and who in their right mind would wish for another conflict, another war.

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  157. WORFEUS THE SEER said...
    For those of you familiar with me you will know that I have written extensively on what we are starting to see in Pakistan right now. As I have said 1000 times now, while we're off fighting a war in Iraq that had nothing to do with Al Quaida, Bin Laden and his gang have been living safely on the borders of Pakistan and India, in a little place called "Kashmir".

    Because Bin Laden enjoys an 70 to 80 percent approval rating in Pakistan, and Musharraf is barely hanging on, all Bin Laden has to do, is stir up the 3 quarters of the country who supports him, and then march into Pakistan, gathering his army as he goes. Once he overthrows Musharraf, and grabs the nukes, then we'll have ourselves a ball game.

    No one paid attention to me 2 or 3 years ago when I was warning about this in here, and elsewhere, but I got a feeling people are going to start paying more attention to this scenario over the coming months."


    Yeah Worf, You and Clif have been saying that for years now, and I agree..........but like you I also hope that NEVER comes to pass..........but Bush's ignorance is providing Bin Laden and the Hardliners the perfect opportunity to seize power in Pakistan AND Afghanistan!

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  158. Think what will happen when the situation in Pakistan finally blows, coupled with Iraq and anyone else Bush incites.

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  159. We don't want war with Pakistan.

    They have nukes. Real nukes that can hit targets and blow shit up and stuff.

    We don't want war with Pakistan.

    But now, thanks to the diversion in Iraq, that gave Bin Laden 6 years to build up support and his army and plans, we may not have much of a choice.

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  160. Worf said "Republicans like Voltron are the worst enemy this country has."

    Thats for sure.!!!!!

    We've become a nation of Dunces 28% of our country are brainless automatons.....Volksturm!

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  161. Since Bin Laden has Pakistan, he now has nukes.

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  162. You know it Mike. And the reason they're the worst enemies this country has, besides the fact that they cowardly hand over our liberties and democratic way of life to the government at the first sign of trouble, is that they ignore the real threats, while focusing on non threats thus turning the non threats into new threats to combine with the real threats.

    :|

    Confusing I know but thats what they do.

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  163. Larry said...
    Since Bin Laden has Pakistan, he now has nukes.


    Well he doesn't have it yet, but he could soon. And these nukes are on the trucks and ready to launch.

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  164. Bush is planning war with Iran while Pakistan has plans for a war of their own.

    Typical Repug planning.

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  165. I am not sure that a democrat, or any president is going to be able to undo all the damage done by this idiot Bush.

    We may have already made our bed, and now we just might have to lie in it.

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  166. Very nice article, Mike. I'm glad I stopped by to read it.

    We make a mistake in assuming all rich, all elites, are enemies of the common good. Warren Buffett and Bill Gates are good examples to disprove this. But the wealthy who seek power over others as a way to advance their own supposed superiority and status and their flagrant displays of self-indulgences are more often the real story.
    I don't know Microsoft's history of relationships with their employees, such as wages/workplace safety/benefits/opportunities for advancement....jeeze, now I have something else to research.

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  167. When a bully beats up a republican kid brother, they don't beat up the bully.

    They beat up his next door neighbor.

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  168. Bush has set things in motion that may not be able to be stopped he may have started WW3!

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  169. I am honestly truly afraid of what could happen if Bush attacks Iran, or if Bin Laden conquors Pakistan!

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  170. Oops.
    While I was writing the above comment I didn't see that the discussion was about Pakistan.
    Y'all are too fast for me!

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  171. WORFEUS THE SEER said...
    When a bully beats up a republican kid brother, they don't beat up the bully.

    They beat up his next door neighbor."

    Nah they beat up the smallest weakest kid they can find that has NOTHING to do with it but has lots of lunch money!

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  172. Hi Mirth,

    There are a few wealthy who give some of their wealth to the needy, but most have the Republican philosophy of getting more for themselves.

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  173. Mirth,

    We talk about everything here at once.

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  174. Hi Mike.

    Larry, that's one reason I like small blogs...less head spinning.

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  175. Mirth,

    We normally talk about the events of the day, sometimes we do everything.

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  176. What aggravates ME about today is that Plames lawsuit was dismissed.........BUT it was dismissed because of jurisdiction so that means the charges might stick if filed in the right venue..........

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  177. Plus Plame is appealing.

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  178. Plame's lawyer was on Hardball saying they are appealing, but another Repug will throw it out.

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  179. At the risk of sounding difficult, I think that it is just very hard to follow, some of us are used to a blog format where a topic is posted and discussion centers around that topic. The person posting is kind of responsible for moving the discussion and people comment accordingly.

    Sometimes when a comment thread becomes about everything, it is awfully hard to know what to respond to or who is willing to talk about an aspect. Do I put time in, do I try to get involved?

    I dont feel like what I say is really part of the discussion sometimes at all but I just try to give feedback about the post.

    I guess you have to be in the loop?

    Anyway, maybe this mch was sensitive but I can kind of see how a person might feel lost in the shuffle.

    I think I just have a high need for organization and structure. It's my comfort zone.

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  180. Of course, Im sure the Redumblican pundits and their ditto heads are already spinning the Plame dismissal as "she had no case". Also, of course, the "liberal media" will give plenty of airtime to these moronic statements.

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  181. Lynn,

    I agree it is alot easier to be organized and very probably the new blog will be structured to make that happen easier.

    Nevertheless, anything you comment on. will be responded to, as you are one of us.

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  182. Thank you Lynn, and I believe you were right, I was "lost in the shuffle" and took it the wrong way

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  183. MCH said...
    Of course, Im sure the Redumblican pundits and their ditto heads are already spinning the Plame dismissal as "she had no case". Also, of course, the "liberal media" will give plenty of airtime to these moronic statements."

    They are allready.......BUT

    1) its not over yet by a long shot

    2) maybe this is a good thing..........if she waits till the democrats have the White House and something damning comes out in this case the NEW AG might be able to file criminal charges against them based on that.........with SO MANY crimes the pardon may not emcompass them all!

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  184. maybe this is a good thing..........if she waits till the democrats have the White House and something damning comes out in this case the NEW AG might be able to file criminal charges against them based on that.........with SO MANY crimes the pardon may not emcompass them all!


    I have a feeling dubbleyuk will be pulling more than a few all-nighters issuing pardons. Guy's going to end up with writer's cramp. Im sure Cheney will be glad to help though, he signs Bush's name better than Bush does anyway.

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  185. If you guys havent checked it out yet, MSNBC.com has the video of today's Keith Olbermann special comment ... he attacks Bush for blaming Hillary Clinton for the war not going well and challenges him to go to Iraq and fight the war himself. Good stuff

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  186. Larry, sorry I left without responding to you. I'm having intermittent cable connection problems tonight.

    Agree that a philanthropic Republican is very rare, at least for the common good rather than specific causes. We and They are wired differently. We're barely the same species.

    As for 'let it all hang out' threads, I did that fast pace. It's just that I am new here and don't yet know the dynamics.

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  187. I meant I *dig that...

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  188. Good Mirth you have the pace on your blog and a different one here.

    Now you can blog everywhere with ease.

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  189. Well well, fancy i go on holiday to the ruffian blog, and pray who do I find but my good good friend the foppish Freedom Fan.

    I say unto you sir that I do dearly miss destroying your rather weak and dodgy arguments and humiliating your dodgy associates.

    Its really not much of a challenge since you are quite overmatched intellectually sir, as you well know by your reluctance to engage me in honest debate, however I do quite enjoy dominating and humiliating you sir.

    I believe President Roosevelt once said "There Is Nothing To Fear But Fear Itself" however in your case sir tis quite evident that tis i you fear.

    Votron was always a decent enough chap, though somewhat lacking in integrity, however he provides no where near the sheer amusement that you do sir, its almost like a cat playing with a mouse how easy it is to dominate and humiliate you.

    I would say i will be somewhat merciful with you sir, but i regret that may prove dishonest sir since I do relish exposing you for the soddish dotard you truly are sir.

    I shall be back later this evening sir after tea if you have the courage to engage me.

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  190. Good evening Larry, i have been traveling abroad both on business and holiday quite frequently but I have checked in here as well as the ruffian blog weekly, and now that both my schedule has ligtened considerably and i am not as knackered, and my foppish friend has surfaced I shall check in on a more frequent basis.

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  191. One more rather quick point before tea time, stupendous article Mike old chap, there is no where near the heinous disparity of wealth in Europe as there is in these United States, and further that gap is starting to narrow considerably in Asia as well with the veritable explosion of the middle class.

    Mr Gates is quite ingenious and is very decent as is Mr Buffet it appears.

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  192. Thu:

    I wondered what happened to you since you slayed the dragons of contempt.

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  193. Since Bin Laden has Pakistan, he now has nukes.

    Well he doesn't have it yet, but he could soon. And these nukes are on the trucks and ready to launch.



    It won't be him. It'll be the Taliban. Although they form partnerships, they are two entirely different entities. The Taliban is strong within Pakistan, as that's where the Taliban were born. They are the creation of a US-Saudi project to export fundamentalism into Soviet-controlled Afghanistan.

    I thought back when it was going on that a Commie Afghanistan was preferrable to religious fanatics. Turns out I was right.

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  194. Lynn@ZelleBlog said...
    At the risk of sounding difficult, I think that it is just very hard to follow, some of us are used to a blog format where a topic is posted and discussion centers around that topic. The person posting is kind of responsible for moving the discussion and people comment accordingly.


    Its just kind of catch as catch can here Lynn. We don't restrict peoples comments to one topic of idea, although most people try to follow the topic on the board.

    We usually have multiple discussions going, and everyone tosses in their two cents worth.

    We're all pretty good at multi-tasking, and if you're not, don't worry.

    Just hang out with us for a few months, and you will be.

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  195. Lynn@ZelleBlog said...


    I think I just have a high need for organization and structure. It's my comfort zone.


    Then you'll do better at Huffington post, where they edit all comments that don't strictly follow the thread article.

    Here we usually talk about the thread article a little, but most often current news or issues end up taking the lead.

    Its a small blog so don't worry about your comments being ignored. Everything gets read by those who visit, and I can tell you Lydia doesn't miss a comment, although it may take her days to actually get to reading them. She reads it all.

    Just relax, and speak your mind.

    I know not what other blogs may do, but as for me and my blog, give me liberty, or give me death

    :|

    Ok, a little over the top but you get the drift...

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  196. Jolly Roger said...
    Since Bin Laden has Pakistan, he now has nukes.

    Well he doesn't have it yet, but he could soon. And these nukes are on the trucks and ready to launch.



    It won't be him. It'll be the Taliban. Although they form partnerships, they are two entirely different entities. The Taliban is strong within Pakistan, as that's where the Taliban were born. They are the creation of a US-Saudi project to export fundamentalism into Soviet-controlled Afghanistan.

    I thought back when it was going on that a Commie Afghanistan was preferrable to religious fanatics. Turns out I was right."

    Yeah JR, the repugs are sure good at making messes but not real good at cleaning them up.

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  197. MCH said...
    If you guys havent checked it out yet, MSNBC.com has the video of today's Keith Olbermann special comment ... he attacks Bush for blaming Hillary Clinton for the war not going well and challenges him to go to Iraq and fight the war himself. Good stuff"

    I think i'll go check it out now!

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