Fairweather

That might be what your vote was for, but the man ran, basically, as a tax-cutter. Remember that whole lowering the taxes for 95% of you thing? Do you think he would have won office while loudly proclaiming he was going to raise taxes and increase social spending? I am curious, though, which country you picked as most closely representative of your ideals.

Did he ever answer the question?

Obama plans on elevating the post of UN Ambassador to cabinet-level and appointing Susan Rice. My guess is that she and Hillary will be at each others throats in short order--and Obama will have a shit-eating grin on his face when he closes the door and leaves them together in the same room.

We'll see. I still don't quite understand the Hillary choice for S. O.S. I don't think she's a bad choice, but it seems like a lose/lose for both of them politically. There must be an outstanding I.O.U. or a skeleton somewhere. She voted for the war. How does that fit into Obama's playbook?

I agree. But if overcoming partisan divisions means sacrificing core principles, count me out. I can guarantee you that Obama's leftist base isn't interested in 'meeting in the middle' on many issues. That said, I think Obama has made some very pragmatic cabinet choices so far--Gates being, by far, the best. I'm still optimistic in that Obama seems to be moving toward the center.

Hey Prole! What do you think?

Charges invalid - prosecutor warned by judge: RAYMONDVILLE, Texas -- A judge dismissed indictments against Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Monday and told the south Texas prosecutor who brought the case to exercise caution as his term in office ends. Willacy County District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra had accused Cheney and the other defendants of responsibility for prisoner abuse. The judge's order ended two weeks of sometimes-bizarre court proceedings. Guerra is leaving office at the end of the month after soundly losing in his March primary election. "I suggest on behalf of the law that you not present any cases to the grand jury involving these defendants," Administrative Judge Manuel Banales said in court while ruling that eight indictments against Cheney, Gonzales and others were invalid. He also set a Dec. 10 hearing on whether to disqualify Guerra from those cases. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/01/cheney-gonale-indictments-dismissed-texas-prison-case/

Should the bodies of the dead gunmen be dumped at sea?

Not really 'ahead of its time' but this is, perhaps, the greatest message in movie history: [video:youtube]

Strange you would pick that one. Her reply to the teacher's lesson is one of the best quotes in movie history and pretty much condemns the Utopian view: Teacher: Earth that was could no longer sustain our numbers, we were so many. We found a new solar system, dozens of planets and hundreds of moons. Each one terraformed, a process taking decades, to support human life, to be new Earths. The Central Planets formed the Alliance. Ruled by an interplanetary parliament, the Alliance was a beacon of civilization. The savage outer planets were not so enlightened and refused Alliance control. The war was devastating, but the Alliance's victory over the Independents ensured a safer universe. And now everyone can enjoy the comfort and enlightenment of our civilization. Young River: People don't like to be meddled with. We tell them what to do, what to think, don't run, don't walk. We're in their homes and in their heads and we haven't the right. We're meddlesome.

A.K.A. "The Naive". Read Woodrow Wilson for clarification. While you're up there on the pedestal you've built for yourself, you should carefully re-read my question.

MY best friend is from the UK, we've discussed this issue at length, and, yet again, you're dead wrong. The problem in the UK is a) Much laxer laws against violent crime, which allows all kinds of hooliganism; bar fights, muggings, etc, to take place there that wouldn't fly here and b) The greater difficulty of bringing civil suits, which produces the same result. Gun ownership has little or nothing at all to do with it. If gun ownership were more lax in the UK, the result would be utterly predictable: the hooligans would be the first to own them, and more innocent people would die. Disagree re UK. I have some family there and believe I have it down just about right as an apples-to-apples comparison. The counter to your S.A. analogy would be the current carnage in Mexico, where the average citizen cannot (legally) own the types of guns used by traffickers now stacking up bodies in overflowing morgues. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politics_in_Mexico

Look at "home invasion" robberies in the UK versus the United States. They are very common in the UK, but from a statistical standpoint, they are virtually non-existent here in the US--and the reason is clear: The homeowner might have a gun.

Some decent comments for once, but do you really understand what the elimination of semi-autos would leave? Bolt action, lever action, pump action, single fed. That's it. Did you really mean to say this? How about revolvers? Some consider them semi-auto, some don't.

I'm sure gang-bangers and the like will use only government-approved ammo.

You sound like you're using the "if you aren't doing anything wrong, then you shouldn't have anything to worry about..." argument? This is interesting.

I hear what you're saying. There is no greater satisfaction in life than introducing someone to a world they never even realized was out there. It's almost as if three worlds now exist. In addition to the day-to-day life of the city/suburbs/consumer/worker, there is the introverted world of the video-gamer and, in the opposite direction, the world that you and I and Matt share: The mountains, the sea, the physical test of self. I sometimes wonder about the motivations of those who would restrict our access to our world and wonder if many of these people have ever really experienced it for themselves--or if they really have a right to petition changes based solely on what they've been fed by someone else's agenda.

I doubt the sample legislation proposed by this group of nannies is going anywhere. Do they really think that anyone--myself included--is going to just "dispose of" thousands of dollars worth of personal property? This leftistlation would make shotguns very popular.

I don't agree with everything here, but parts of it ring true. In order to protect it we need more recreational use, not less. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,459225,00.html

It looks like India has captured one of the gunmen alive. To what degree of discomfort, if any, should this terrorist be subjected? Seems to me it would be helpful to know who his benefactors are or if more attacks are in the works.

Um, actually, yes. Ya think? Hmmm, lemme see: Waterboarding with no lasting physical effects or...slowly strangled to death by a chord hung from a crane in front of a large cheering crowd... Ok, I've decided now. I'll take the waterboarding please!

According to The Evergreen State College and Rachael Corrie's parents, the manufacturer of that crane is responsible. Since I don't see a basket of any kind, its safe to assume they just lifted the poor guy into the air to strangle. Real nice folks, they.

Yea, but don't you think she'd look way hotter in this?

This may have once been true, but things seem to have changed during the last 30 years. I have an Egyptian business associate who is Coptic Christian and left Egypt for good about 5 years ago. Why? Her words: "Because the crazies are taking over".

I agree with the first part of your post, but you lost me at addressing their "beefs". For the most part, their beefs seem to be based simply on 'convert to Islam or die', their rage vented regularly upon atheist, Christian, Jew, and Hindu alike. At least Christians seem content to leave the non-believer alone to face their fate in the afterlife--Muslims seem intent on helping them get there sooner.